


See Luna safe to Altissia

by obina



Series: See Luna safe to Altissia [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV, Kingsglaive
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Altissia is gonna be intense anyway, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dangerous Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gods vs Human trope, It initially sticks to the canon, Non-Canon Relationship, Plot Twists, Wedding, then goes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2018-09-29 22:23:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 102,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10145882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obina/pseuds/obina
Summary: Libertus warned Nyx about Glauca being Drautos, so Luna and Nyx didn’t fell in the Empire’s trap, Nyx didn’t had to use the ring and he survived. What would have happened if Nyx really had the chance to ‘see Luna safe to Altissia’, like he promised to Regis?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Since I really had a ton of unexpected encouragement, I decided to write this fic. This is only the first part as you can see and it’s also very short, but please let me know what do you think. thanks to the lovely @loveiscosmicsin for the collaboration (my english writing would be terrible without her) . This fic will probably took me an eternity, guys, please be patient. Enjoy! <3

Lunafreya sat in a corner of the street, concealed by some dilapidated building. She really needed to catch her breath, it was that sole reason why the Oracle and the Glaive had stopped for a moment. She lifted her gaze from her hands, watching the sky beyond the smoke. 

 "Nyx Ulric … The wall is gone. Insomnia has fallen.“ She whispered with a sad look  of resignation. Nyx Ulric stood up right beside her and didn’t answer a thing. He was sad too though in a very different way. He was somehow angry and frustrated. Without the king’s magic, he was powerless to do anything else but stay by the princess, the last order he had been given. He took a deep breath and put the hands on her shoulders, trying to warm her up a bit while his eyes explored the area for possible dangers.

“We have to keep going, haven’t we?” She asked, shivering at the Glaive’s touch.

“Yeah. We must get out of the city before the Empire finds us. We’re almost there. Can you still move?“ 

Luna was slightly injured, but it was nothing compared to the uneasiness of her heart. Her hope was still there but with the death of King Regis - a dear friend who always had been present in her fondest memories of childhood- she really lost a father figure in which she used to trust. "Don’t worry,” she replied, touching the gunshot wound on her shoulder. “A scratch won’t stop me." 

"Let’s move then." 

Nyx pulled her up delicately and together they walked fast until they saw the frontier. A huge crowd was pulling from everywhere, trying to get out of Insomnia, the city condemned to destruction. Desperation, fear, and anxiety were painted on their faces. Nobody was expecting such a madness right in the same day in which the treaty had to be signed. Luna and Nyx looked at them, disturbed by the tense atmosphere. 

"Look, I chose this frontier because it shouldn’t be so very well guarded but a lot of people probably thought the same. Masses are unstable. We can take advantage of the confusion, but we also have to be more careful. Stay close to me, keep your eyes down, and trust me." 

"Magitek troops are in position, looking for us.” Luna squeezed her fist tightly, the Ring of the Lucii imprinting on her palm. If the Empire set up a checkpoint, they have no hope of passing inspections. “We can’t pass.”

“I knocked off hundreds of empties back in my military experience. They think like a hive together than apart. We can pass unnoticed or we can trick them.” Nyx gave her a thumbs up and a cocky grin. “I’ll manage somehow." 

"Without your powers?" 

"Thank you for reminding me of it every three minutes, princess.”

She tried to smile and then she decided to trust him. After all, he guarded her well until now, even without his magic. They acted very quickly: Nyx lead Luna holding her by her elbow right in the center of the crowd, pushing people aside so she could pass. Someone protested but he didn’t care. In five minutes, they found themselves face to face with some MTs, but they were strangely still. 

 "Maybe it’s our lucky day.”

"After all we went through, I highly doubt we can call it ‘lucky’." 

"Okay, let’s just say we had luck in this very specific occasion.” Nyx was still speaking when a Magitek suddenly opened his eyes and stared right at them. That was so terrifying that both Nyx and Luna boggled. An alarm started to sound in the air. “How the hell …?” Nyx took his kukri out and in the same time he pushed the princess ahead, barking a single order, “Run!”

Luna didn’t wait for the Glaive to repeat himself. She immediately ran ahead, ignoring her prior exhaustion and the shooting pain in her feet. Nyx slammed his fist in one of the MT’s face, ready to do the same with every one of the them if it was the case. He had to clear the way - which was enormously hard to do without his warp magic - and when he thought he almost did it, in that very moment a better armed soldier appeared in the distance, shooting at him. Nyx didn’t even feel the pain immediately, he only noticed his left arm bleeding under the sleeve. “Damn” he cursed, hating the sight of his own blood. That wouldn’t have happened if he still had his powers. 

“Nyx!” The princess stopped in the middle of the road as she saw him being hurt. 

“What are you doing? Keep running!" 

"More Magitek soldiers are coming!”

Nyx lift his head and he noticed that Luna was right. In the chaos of the fight, he didn’t hear the engines getting closer. This was bad and it could have get even worse if a black car wouldn’t have appeared in the distance. At first Nyx thought it was another imperial enemy, but as the car got closer, he started to feel hope again. 

A short man dressed in white came out of the car, speaking in a very evident accent from Tenebrae: "Princess, take this car and use it to escape!“ 

"Rufus!” Luna screamed in relief as she recognized her personal chauffeur. “What do you want to do?" 

"I’ll distract them somehow, but if we lose you we lose everything. You have to go!”

 Nyx immediately felt sorry for ignoring him two days before, when he met Lunafreya for the first time and took her away from him just to follow Drautos’ instructions. That short and showy man clearly was braver than Nyx gave him credit for. 

“Thank you, Rufus. I won’t forget this,” Luna said, as she stepped back, took Nyx’s good arm and pulled him to the car. 

“We can’t leave this poor man here to die” Nyx replied, seeing her intentions. He was pretty certain that Rufus would have been mortally wounded in 0.2 seconds if he stood alone against the empire. 

“Nyx, I need YOU to come with me.” The way she pronounced his name was ambiguous. Maybe it was a plea, maybe it was request, maybe it was a supplication. She seemed worried. She looked afraid. Yet, her voice was gentle, strong, and determined. “Can you drive me out of this city? Please?" 

Nyx didn’t even try to deny her something that was his duty anyway. Trying to stop the blood on his arm with a hand, he entered in the car and assured that the princess was safe in the backseat. He glanced at Rufus for a second before he pushed the clutch, gaining speed very fast. A Magitek ship shot at them, but the car resisted pretty well and the Empire wasn’t ready to see them leave on the wheels.   


 "Your chauffeur is a dead man now” Nyx mumbled after five minutes, looking straight ahead. His conscience didn’t settle with the idea of ‘we didn’t have a choice’. He would have regret abandoning him for ages. In fact, Luna didn’t seem feeling right about it either. She just sat in the backseat, hands covering her face, maybe hiding some silent tears. A deep hush went on for a long time. In the end, Nyx decided he had to say something. “Nobody is following us. I guess we took them by surprise, so that’s an advantage for us. Still, it’s just a matter of time before they start tracking us down again." 

"I have to heal your wound” she said out of nowhere, lowering her hands and showing her tired, pretty face. 

“You what …?” Nyx looked at her in the rearview mirror. “No, I’m fine.”

“I can heal your wound. Inside the crown city’s protocol I am the former princess of Tenebrae, but outside of it I am known as the Oracle. So healing people it’s my duty." 

"That’s not the problem. We just can’t stop now. When we will arrive at Hammerhead maybe… it should be safe there." 

"Hammerhead is two hours away from Insomnia and you will bleed to death in the meantime. Please, Nyx Ulric. I’m worried." 

Disarmed by her firm kindness, Nyx muttered something unclear and pulled over the car. ‘Please’, that magic word was literally everything she needed to say to make him obey like a little puppy. It happened before, it happened now, he feared that it will happen again in the future. 

"I hope you’re happy now, princess,” he commented, determined to complain as long as possible about Luna’s decision to stop in such a crucial moment. 

 "I will when your arm will stop bleeding.“ They both got out of the car. Luna moved in circle until she reached the Glaive’s side. Without saying another word she took off his jacket and examined the wound, causing him moaning in pain. "Oh, this could wait, right?” She asked in a very sarcastic tone. 

“In my defense I can say I didn’t think it was _that_ bad." He replied cheekily.

Nyx was lucky, having the Oracle with him because no potion would have been enough with that bullet hole. Luna sighed. She covered the terrible wound with one gentle hand and with the other she cupped his cheek. Nyx stopped breathing for a moment: Luna seemed having in her daily routine the physical contact with her patients, but for him it was a brand new procedure. As she touched his forehead with hers, all he could think about was the warmth of her skin and the sweet smell of her breath. The operation took her a couple of minutes, in which she murmured prayers in foreign words that the Glaive couldn’t start to imagine their translation. Nyx didn’t move at all because he didn’t want to compromise her professionalism with some inappropriate comments. That was all she was. Professional. Nothing else. So his heart should have stopped beating so fast now. 

"How do you feel now?” she asked.

Nyx looked at the wound: there was a subtle scar where the hole used to be, but the pain was gone. 

“Much… better. Thank you, princess.” Luna sighed in relief this time and only then Nyx noticed the bead of sweat trailing down her neck. She suddenly looked so tired. “What about you?" 

 "I am fine. Healing other people cause me some discomfort, but nothing to worry about. I just need some rest.” She stood unsteadily on her feet and took a deep breath. “I’m sure I have some clean clothes in the luggage van. I’ll change and then we can leave. Hammerhead?" 

 Nyx looked at her. It was his turn to be worried. "Hammerhead.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It starts getting more painful to write, but thank heaven I have @loveiscosmicsin to help me out with my english <3 So here we are, Nyx and Luna start chatting a bit more, there’s sass (because sassy Nyx is damn hot ok) and some new characters, like Gentiana and Takka (let’s credit a bit more these characters lol). I took the chance to explain some things that Tabata never mentioned like: where the hell did Luna change her outfit? How did Luna travelled around Eos in shorter time than Noctis? (coming soon answers: where is the Luna’s necklace coming from? When how and why Luna went back to Tenabrae before going to Altissia? What about her health situation? etc etc)
> 
> The start of lunyx relationship will be slow, I want it to be natural, so no wonder if they still don’t act like lovers. Let’s make them go deep in the knowledge of each other, in the caring of each other, let’s make them growing in affection, friendship, respect, and sense of duty, etc etc before throwing them in an angsty romance xD Also, I hope I’ll treat Noctis right in this because he suffered enough in the canon already. Stay tuned, babes, updates are coming <3 be patient <3

The road was empty and the atmosphere was calm. Daylight started to spark in the distance as the sun came out. The dawn didn’t care about how many people died that night. The dawn didn’t care about Insomnia being lost.

“Don’t look at me as I change my clothes, understand?” Luna said, moving a bit in the backseat of the Tenebraen black car. Instinctively, Nyx glanced at the rearview mirror. “I said, don’t look!”

Nyx forced himself to keep his eyes straight on the road ahead and smiled sheeplishly, “Wasn’t that reverse psychology?”

She giggled a bit, even though she clearly was very tired: “No, it was not. Sir Ulric, please.” It’s that ‘please’ again. By the Stars, that girl knew how to manipulate him.

“All right, all right! Sorry. You know, I’m not really a maniac. It’s just very hard for me to follow orders. I instinctively do the opposite.”

“Oh, is that so? Then, please, Nyx Ulric, watch me taking my clothes off!” Nyx smiled widely, keeping his eyes on the road this time.

“You know, inverse psychology’s really working out for me.”

Luna took five minutes to change her tattered outfit with a clean one. This one was pretty cute and also a bit more comfortable.

“I knew that leaving a clothes changing in the car was a good idea.” She commented, adjusting a pin with the crest of Tenabrae on her white lace. She found a black band somewhere in the baggage and she decided to put it on her arm to remind her of the tragedies that took place last night. "Nyx Ulric?”

“You can stick to just Nyx.”

She tried again, uncertainty encircled one syllable. “Nyx?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry that I dragged you in all this. You surely left family and friends in Insomnia. You would have preferred to stay with them, right?” Nyx bit his own lip.

“I’ll catch up with Libertus again someday, I’m sure he didn’t die. He may not be the brightest tool in the shed, but he can take care of himself.”

“That’s it? Libertus is all you have left in Insomnia?”

“Yeah, no family, remember?”

“Right, you told me about your little sister. So, no father, no mother?”

“They both died years ago, too.”

“No wife? Or girlfriend?” Luna’s tone changed when the Glaive grimaced. “Er, a lover?” Those are probabilities.

Nyx smiled. “Getting personal already, princess?”

“Oh sorry… I didn’t mean to be unprofessional, I was just…”

“Nah, it’s fine. Actually there’s nothing to tell about it. No wife. No girl. Life at the Kingsglaive department is pretty similar to a losers’ one.”

After the initial embarrassment for neglecting her manners, Luna relaxed a bit. “Don’t say that.” She smiled.

"What I mean is… It may sound weird but …” He stopped for a moment, looking for the best words to express his thinking. “If I got it right, by carrying that ring, you’re carrying the future of the world in your hands, princess. I’d be honored if I can support you even without my magic. If I can have a small part in all this then… I’m glad that I’m the one you dragged in with you.” He scratched his nose and added, “Also, King Regis asked me first, not you. I’m here because he told me to and I will do anything to pursue one man’s last wish.”

Luna stretched out a bit because she wanted to see his eyes. She wanted to make sure he wasn’t deceiving her. He had no reason to lie, but she needed the assurance. When she saw them in the rearview mirror, she sighed her relief, “You really are a hero, Sir Ulric.”

“Nyx.” He corrected her again.

"Nyx.” She smiled. “We will see the ring to Noctis. The future of all will be safe, I promise.” Nyx seriously nodded.

Suddenly, Luna winced and wide opened her eyes: “Nyx, watch out!” she screamed making him pushing on the brake. He lost control of the car for a moment and when he was able to use the wheel again he was out of the road already.

“What the hell, princess?” he shouted back, turning to see her getting out of the car as fast as possible: “Hey, what happened? Are you okay?” He followed her out, under the light of the lighting sun. Luna was stepping ahead to meet two beautiful dogs, one white and the other one black. She immediately kneeled down in front of them, making clear her intent. Nyx opened his mouth and his arms, in an hilarious expression of disbelief. “Dogs? We almost crashed the car and got ourselves killed because you wanted to pet some dogs?”

“They’re very special dogs. The white one is Pryna, the other is Umbra.”

“Oh, special dogs. This explains everything!” He quipped sarcastically, rolling eyes.

“Umbra has a message from Noctis.”

Nyx stopped, suddenly curious. “You mean … The prince?” He got closer, watching Luna as she took a red notebook from Umbra’s collar and brought the cover to her forehead. She seemed so happy to have that object back, treating it like a priceless relic. “You do this… often? These dogs just carry back messages you send each other?” Even if Nyx wanted to take it seriously, there was incredulity in his voice.

“It’s the only way Noctis and I could stay in touch. We did so in the last twelve years.”

“Twelve years?” He blurted out. This time he was totally shocked. “You two couldn’t talk in person for twelve years? I thought that…” Luna lifted her eyes, watching him with a strange expression which was a mix between sorrow, anger, and expectation. In the end, Nyx lost the words he really wanted to say and all he said out was something lame, “Sorry, I thought the marriage was something the two of you had a say in.”

Luna was about to reply something back when a woman appeared in front of them. She had long black hair, her eyes were closed, her outfit black as well. Even though a mysterious aura surrounded her pretty figure, Luna seemed to recognize her well. The Oracle simply rose to her feet and showed her the Ring of the Lucii she was carrying in the palm of her hand, like she was showing a long-yearned memento.

The mysterious lady nodded, silently continuing a conversation she and Luna probably had before: “The time has come and the Oracle’s fate sealed. The One is waiting for you to fulfill your duty.”

“I know and I will.”

“Much I can expect from you. The Six will adhere to the strength and purity of your heart. Awaken them from their dreamless stupor. Pave the way so the King of Kings may reclaim his throne and defeat the darkness once and for all.”

“That I will.” The woman suddenly opened her eyes, like she heard her name be called in the distance. She looked ahead but she wasn’t really looking, a faraway look in her emerald eyes, but gravity of their expression was heavy in her gaze.

“Is she blind?” Nyx asked in a whisper at Luna’s ear. He must had got closer in the meantime and since he didn’t understand a thing about the subject of their conversation, he was pretty determined to learn more with a sequence of irreverent questions.

“No, she’s not.”

“So she talks in her sleep?” The situation was too serious for her to start laughing. Luna really had to struggle to keep her self-control.

“The wolf will never take his eyes off the moon so fate could not have found a better loyal guardian than he.” The dark-haired woman casually added, before closing her eyes again and turn away. Lunafreya watched her go with a certain apprehension this time. She glanced at Nyx, put at unease by something said by the mysterious lady. Nyx returned the stare, even more curious now.

Luna couldn’t avoid an explanation this time. “She’s Gentiana and she is known by few people as a divine messenger. In reality, she’s one of the Six.” Nyx wide opened his mouth.

“I just stood in front of a goddess?” Luna nodded.

Nyx couldn’t believe it. He really had a lot of questions like. The Six really existed? Why were they sleeping and why that Gentiana was awake already? Lunafreya really had the ability of speaking with the Six? What were they talking about? How was he supposed to protect a woman which was exposed to such supernatural events he never dealt up with before? Suddenly he understood the real weight of what they were going to do and this made him thoughtful. When he couldn’t bare the stressful feeling of powerlessness anymore, he said, “This may be the right time to discuss the details of our mission, princess.”

Back again on the road, Luna took a little nap before they arrived in Hammerhead. She was exhausted after all what happened, so she couldn’t resist. Nyx kept glancing at her in the rearview mirror, watching over her like he was fearing some supernatural force could hurt her somehow out of a sudden. After their meeting with Gentiana, Luna explained him what they were going to do now: no going to Altissia to have a ball at her wedding, no, something far more dangerous. They were going to look for the divinity in their world, wake them up from their sleep so they would 'probably’ helped the Chosen King Noctis Lucis Caelum to succeed in his duty. Easier said than done, but all this would actually have required time. The Astrals were tempermental beings and don’t bestow their blessings to humans easily. To make matters worse, the Empire was tracking them down. And they were alone against it. Nyx didn’t know if he was able to see the princess safe to Altissia like he promised to King Regis. Back at that time, he still had his magic. Now without supernatural powers, would he be able to protect Luna from supernatural dangers? He glanced at her once more. She was sleeping in the backseat of the car, looking like a golden angel. She seemed so vulnerable now. He knew she actually wasn’t (he remembered too well about her courage - or better said, unconsciously) but still in that very moment, she was. And he felt like he was ready to give his life to safeguard her graceful and strong fragility.

He finally saw a colorful sign, which reported Hammerhead location. He thought about going straight ahead, without any break, but honestly he was tired too and this place looked safe enough to offer them a bit of rest. He pulled over and parked the car as far as he can from the restaurant and the famous garage.

“Princess?” He gently moved her arm, rousing her awake. “We’re at Hammerhead.” She slowly opened her eyes, looking around like she had forgotten the basis of talking in that very moment.

“Hammerhead?”

“Yeah. You should get a proper bed for that beauty rest, don’t you think?”

“Is it safe?”

Nyx looked out of the window. “There’s not a huge crowd. You can stay in the car while I go exploring the area a bit, anyway. I can also buy some food if you want and over there we can rent a caravan.” She didn’t answer so Nyx turned to look at her. “You can relax. The caravan’s for you. I’ll sleep in the car." 

"No, this was not what I was thinking, it’s…” Yes, it was. This was exactly what she was thinking. She never shared her bedchambers with a man before.

Nyx decided to ignore her embarrassment and continued: “I only have few gil, but I’ll score some favors to earn more, I suppose. Stay here, I’ll do a perimeter search.” Nyx wasn’t comfortable with leaving her in the car but he didn’t have a choice. He took directly the restaurant direction, avoiding every possible stare. Surely his dilapidated kingsglaive outfit was drawing enough attention to him already, even without his jacket on. The guy on the counter introduced himself as Takka and highly recommended him the menu of the day. Nyx decided to follow his advice and spent all the few gil he had in his leather pants’ pockets for it. 

“To go, thank you,” he specified and then waved at him to come closer. “Listen, I have a very special girl waiting for me in the car and I’d like to offer a proper bed for her to rest. Do you have a job which will allow me to pay for it?”

Takka took a long second to answer, in which he probably wondered what 'special girl’ could mean. Nyx had specifically chosen that definition, leaving it up to free interpretation. If he was lucky enough, Takka would have assume his secret date was waiting for him, so he wouldn’t have asked any more information.

“Well, uh… Yeah, I could pay you 1500 gilif you kill off some nasty monsters around this area. They’re called Reapertails. You sure you’re up to the task?” Nyx smiled smugly. 

“Reapertails? Really? For something so simple I won’t even need magic.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s fine. Consider the job it done.”

“I like your enthusiasm, son, but honestly, it will be dark in two hours. You shouldn’t stay out at night. Nobody shouldn’t.”

“So, I guess I will complete my mission… in two hours?”

Takka seemed to panic a bit.“You’re crazy. No, no. Okay, listen. You said you need a bed for your girl, right?”

“That’s not what I said, but whatever. What’s the point?”

“I’ll give you the caravan for tonight. You’ll pay me tomorrow.” He held up a hand, enunciating sternly of the condition that followed with the charity, “After you’ll finish the job.”

“And who guarantees you that tomorrow I’ll actually pay you?” 

“You seem to be a man of honor, that’s the guarantee. Talking about trust here so don’t let me down. Anyway, I’d prefer to lose gil for an unpaid debt than to lose another human life to the daemons. I know the feeling, son. Please, don’t go out in the dark. So, here the keys for your girl.” Nyx took the keys Takka gave him and was about to thank him when Takka added: “So, do you know what happened to Insomnia?” 

Nyx swallowed hard. “No, do you?”

“Nah, the communications have been interrupted, I’m still waiting for some news. Prince Noctis was here yesterday, but he seemed just having fun with his friends, he really didn’t look worried at all, I don’t know…”

Nyx was surprised by that.“Prince Noctis was here?”

“I shouldn’t have told ya, sorry…” Nyx wanted to ask more, to learn more, mostly because of curiosity, but even though Takka seemed pretty naive, he didn’t want to make him suspicious anyway. 

“Well, well, royalty mingling with the commonfolk! Isn’t that nice? Maybe his princess is here somewhere too,” He kept his tone light-heartedlike a common citizen talking to his barman. “Whatever, who cares about royalty?” Okay, that last one was a bit exagerated, better to cut it off now. “Have a good night, Takka, and thanks. Tomorrow, I’ll bring you the Reapertails stingers.” 

After that, Nyx ran to the car, tapping on the window and Luna quickly lowered it to talk with him. Nyx leaned in. 

“Okay, princess. This is your meal, I bet you’re starving” He said as he handed her a very welcomed boxed lunch. “And these…” he added, showing her the keys with a smugly pride, “are for the caravan. So you can stretch your feet and make yourself comfortable while I’m on guard duty.”

“That’s surprising! How did you do it?”

Nyx smiled her.“You said that once: not all miracles are made by magic. I guess I made a good first impression. Also, I promised to take care of one job tomorrow. I’ll try to fit it into the schedule, don’t worry.”

Luna cautiously got out of the vehicle, she didn’t want people to see her now.

“Are you going to sleep in the car? Really?” 

“What’s the alternative? Are you going to invite me in? Don’t worry, princess. This car is far better than the appartment I used to live in Insomnia.”

Luna smiled delicately, keeping the boxed lunch and keys close to her like they were special gifts. She should have say goodnight now, but she foolishly chose to prolong the moment somehow.

“Thank you so much, Nyx Ulric…” The Oracle shook her head, ridding herself of the habit.“Nyx.” The Glaive raised his eyebrows slightly, noting that she seemed to actually enjoy saying his name even when she had his full attention. “All this would have been very trying without you.”

Nyx bit his lower lip, suffocating a smile instead of correcting her. He always felt sort of uncomfortable when people used thank him. This time was nice though.

“That’s good to hear. Go to bed now and have some rest.” They glanced at each other for a very short moment and then Luna stepped away, headed to the caravan. She didn’t turn back as she entered. 

Nyx watched her go, keeping his hands on his hips.

He chose not to tell her about Prince Noctis being there in Hammerhead just the day before and - as he sighed deeply - he started to wonder why.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luna and Nyx didn’t fell in the Empire’s trap, Nyx didn’t had to use the ring and he survived. What would have happened if Nyx really had the chance to ‘see Luna safe to Altissia’, like he promised to Regis?  
> Here the part 3: Nyx and Luna leave Hammerhead and arrive in Lestallum, where they get ready to face the Titan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer and we can have them finally bonding a bit. Still, Luna will keep this professional attitude for awhile, because that’s the way she is I think xD Nyx will have an hard time with this princess, but ok, he likes it ;) 
> 
> And next chapter ... the Titan. Omg. That’s gonna be taugh to write.

Luna slept almost well, in spite of all what happened just the night before. Of course, she still felt her chest compressed by the heavy sense of uncertainty about the destiny of the world on her shoulders and by the guilt of seeing so many deaths with her own eyes, but somehow … Someone … Made her feeling protected too. She regretted almost every minute of her past and feared every minute of her future but the present, that was a safe place.

Because she was not alone in all this.

She had a night of dreamless sleep which was better than she could have hoped for. Sleep didn’t come easily, for she feared that if she closed her eyes, it would be the last. A knock at the door woke her up. It was a disorienting lapse of thought, not realizing where she was and why, but then a familiar voice called her out: 

“Ehm, milady? Are you up?” 

Luna boggled up and she instinctively covered her chest with the blanket, even though she was dressed and all. She finally realized what was happening and asked with some trepidation in her voice, “Nyx?” 

“Yeah, it’s me. Doubt Niffs would be this polite at knocking doors.”

“What time is it?” She asked, leaving the bed and looking for her shoes on the floor. The caravan was pretty small so she found them quickly.

“Almost 11 AM.” 

“What? Did I sleep so long?” she asked surprised, putting her heeled sandals on. 

“It’s fine. You were very tired.”

Luna rapidly opened the door and found Nyx there, dressed exactly like the day before but a bit cleaner. 

“Good morning... Did you make a bath?” 

“Wow, if that’s the first thing you notice it means that yesterday I was a real mess. The answer is yes, I didn’t sleep so much as Your Majesty did, so I had plenty of time to go on mission, kill monsters and coming back, having a bath and buying you breakfast.” He raised an eyebrow and waved at her a small package, like he did the day before. Luna took it, thanking him more than she should have, causing Nyx laughing about it more than he should have. Nobody ever thanked him so much for a simple breakfast and he found it kinda funny. 

They both sat in the chairs outside the caravan. It was a warm morning but the air felt fresh, which made it even more enjoyable. The gas station was almost empty so they could afford to stay outside for breakfast without risking to be recognized.

Luna opened her package and found a plastic cup of coffee and a croissant in it. She smiled.

“Is it okay?” Nyx asked, stretching the legs on his own chair and sipping his black Ebony. His eyes on her were inquisitive. “I still don’t know what you usually have for breakfast so I just tried to guess.”

“It’s perfect. Well, actually i have my coffee with some cream in it, but this is fine too.” She had a first bite on her croissant. “It tastes delicious. Thank you again.”

Nyx chuckled. “Stop thanking me.”

She just ignored him and kept eating her breakfast with renewed pleasure. Nyx lost himself watching her for awhile, overwhelmed by lazy thoughts.

“What?” she asked, taking a sip of her Ebony. The shiny light of the morning made her eyes sparkling like blue diamonds.

“You need to tell me if you have some allergies or if you’re intolerant to something.” That was one of the weirdest questions Luna ever got.

“Where is this from?”

“You know, my mission is ‘seeing you safely to Altissia’, so I guess I should try feeding you with things that aren’t poisonous.”

It was Luna’s turn to laugh. “Oh, really? Guess what, Sir Ulric, I can buy my own food if you prefer, no need to 'feed’ me. Anyway, no, I don’t have any allergies.” Nyx was smiling but in the same time he was serious too.

“Ok. Then, do you suffer with asthma?”

“No!” she answered, undecided if she should feel scandalized or amused.

“Low blood pressure?”

“Not either” she chuckled. “Listen, I’m young and my health is good!”

“Really? It didn’t look like that yesterday when you healed me.” 

Luna suddenly stopped laughing and stared back at him. He wasn’t smiling anymore either.

“So, that’s what you really wanted to insinuate.”

“You slept for almost fifteen hours after that, princess.”

“Excuse me, I saw the Crown City being destroyed, the king dying, and the weight of the world is now on my shoulders because of this dangerous ring. Maybe my tiredness may be considered normal.”

Nyx put the elbows on his knees and looked straight at her eyes, like he was about to extort every secret out of her. “Don’t lie to me” he whispered. His voice wasn’t rude. He was genuinely worried and that flustered her.

Luna’s eyebrows frowned. “I’m fine, Nyx. You needn’t to worry.”

“Your health is literally my mission. Of course I need to worry” he said, opening his hands. “So let me get this straight: are we going to play the game 'which one between us is more stubborn’ or you gonna tell me what’s wrong with you now?”

“There’s nothing to tell. My health is good. Healing people tires me a bit but I can handle it.” Nyx tightened his lips and sighed.

“Awesome. Looks like the game has started. You really like to make things complicated, don’t you?”

“Nyx…”

“Like this changes things. I’ll stand by your side anyway, princess. I promised you that and I won’t back down now. I’d just like to know what we got on stakes here, so I would manage things differently maybe” he said, standing up on his feet again and not wanting to look at her anymore.

“Nyx. Look at me, please.” Nyx eye rolled and then looked at her. The damn 'please’ word was starting to become a problem for his own credibility. He instantly let his walls down and felt weak.

Luna’s face was so angelic and sincere, she would be able to melt an entire iceberg with just one glance. “You have to trust me. I know what I’m doing,” she continued, her lips trembling. 

Nyx slowly shook his head first, but nodded in the very end. “Ok” he said reluctantly. “Have it in your way.”

Luna sighed in relief. “I appreciate your understanding.”

Nyx took a little walk around so Luna could finish her breakfast but he quickly came back after three minutes. He still was nervous because of the talking they just had, but he managed to be kind somehow when he asked her:  
“Can you at least tell me what’s our next stop? I should control the map and check out the safest way.”

Luna knew she would make him angry by answering at that question but she didn’t have any other choice. “The Disc of Cauthess.”

“You serious?” She nodded and apologized again. Nyx really had an hard time trying not to scream out his frustration. “Just great” said instead, heading back to the car.

 

 

Before leaving, Nyx decided to buy the newspaper. 

'INSOMNIA FALLS’ was the main title. He and Luna read the article in silence, standing next next to the car, their thoughts were too heavy to actually express them. Luna’s lips clutched as she read over Nyx’s shoulder, the article stated that both her and Noctis dead. They were not. They both were alive. They both had still to fulfill their duty. What they lost the day before, though, was probably the most awful damage they would ever endure and she wandered if Noctis was feeling the same way she was: scared and bruised, but determined in doing what she has to. No turning back now.

“Are you okay?” Nyx asked, holding the paper with both hands, standing by her side like he promised. He was starring at her and when he read the anxiety on her face he decided to close the newspaper and pull her closer.  
Nyx noticed a man observing them with caution from a distance. He was old, with a grey beard and dressed in orange and yellow, and his eyes were so shrewd they look like they knew: yes, for a very short moment, Nyx was 100% that the old man recognized them.

“We better go, princess” Nyx hastily whispered in her ear, returning the glance to the man in the most menacing way he could. He wanted to make clear that the princess was nobody’s else business but his. The old dude just smiled and shook his head, then turned away, touching the visor of his hat. Again he had that aware expression on his face: he 100% recognized them. Who was he? Nyx didn’t want to know. “We have to leave Hammerhead as soon as possible.”

 

 

To arrive to the Disc of Cauthess and to avoid the imperial troops which controlled the area, they had to take the longest way. They would have stopped in Lestallum first. 

“Lestallum is far from Cauthess.” Luna casually said, looking at the map. She was not occupying the backseat this time, she chose to sit on Nyx’s right. 

“I know, but I don’t feel like to face the entire army for you to have fun there with the Arcadian. They’re tracking us down, so we have to divert them far from the Disc and then seep in unnoticed. Lestallum offers protection, we can buy what we need there and we can wait for the right moment to act.”

“Diversion? Slip in unnoticed?” Luna didn’t understand exactly what he meant.

“Once in Lestallum, we’ll spread the voice about your survival, so the Empire will look for you there and leave other borders without control. In the same time, we will go to the Disc, so we will be able to enter unnoticed.”  
Luna lifted the eyes from the parchment and looked at him.

“That sounds like a plan. I’m impressed. Why weren’t you in command of the Kingsglaive?” Nyx smiled.

“Because Drautos was.” Luna smiled back, but with some sadness in it. 

“Yeah, right. Do you think he’s still alive?”

“I surely hope not. He’s strong and intelligent, which makes of him a terrible enemy. And that’s not even the worst part.” 

“What would that be?” Nyx shook his head.

“He’s a traitor. Traitors are … the worst kind of enemy. He killed Crowe in a certain way and I will never forgive him for that. He helped the Empire destroying the city. A lot people died yesterday because of him. Furthermore, he killed the man who give us a future when we did not have one… He killed our King.” Luna leaned down a bit, putting her gentle fingers on the clutch, where Nyx’s hand rested.

That simple gesture really comforted his tormented heart. He turned a bit to look at Luna’s eyes - now so caring and worried - and then focused on the road again. “I’m sorry you had to see that too, Princess.” 

Hearing those words reminded Luna the moment when Regis was killed in front of them. Her forehead frown a bit, trying not to show her true and deep sorrow. “We can’t change the past. We have to look forward to our future.” 

Nyx didn’t answer. He simply turned up the palm of his hand, grasping her little fingers in his. They didn’t even know who needed comfort the most right now, they just knew they needed a short moment of affection to soothe their pain away. Luna was the one letting go first. When she retrieved her hand, Nyx felt bad for holding it in the first place. He was about to say sorry out loud, but in the end he preferred to shut up and keep on driving. 

 

 

They arrived in Lestallum just thirty minutes before the sunset, bringing a sigh of relief to both of them. 

“So, what do we do now?” asked Luna as they parked and left the car. 

“We’ll check if they have free rooms at the hotel and then we’ll go shopping” he answered, trying to be enthusiast about the 'shopping’ part when he clearly was more interested in the 'room’ part: driving for so long made him extremely tired and he really needed a good sleep. 

“Separate chambers?” Luna inquired.

“Of course, Your Highness,” he smiled back, raising eyebrows and keeping on playing with the keys. 

To hell the 'of course’. At the hotel they only had a free room. “I’ll sleep in the car again, no problem” Nyx said immediately, to calm her down.

As a matter of fact, Luna already blushed and frowned. “No, you shouldn’t. After all you did for me until now, you deserve a bed too, Nyx” she answered, her voice nervous. “So I should be the one sleeping in the car or we can both share a room.” 

“What man would leave a girl sleeping alone in the car when he’d get a comfortable room all by himself?” Nyx asked, outraged. “Especially a girl like you.” He didn’t want to say 'a princess’ out loud, fearing to be heard now. But that was what he meant.

“So, we’re gonna share the same room. They have separate beds anyway, it’s not like you’re gonna do something bad to me, right?” 

“Of course I won’t, it’s just that…” He was uncertain. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes.” Even with that positive answer, Luna swallowed hard and that failed her.

Nyx raised an eyebrow, noticing it. “Okay, I’ll sleep in the car.”

“No! I can handle this. Therefore, you can’t protect me in case of necessity if you stay in the car, can you?”

That convinced Nyx in the end, but actually he didn’t have anything against it in the first place. He didn’t dislike the idea of staying in the same room with the princess. On the contrary, he was only worried about her embarrassment, because he didn’t want to complicate things for nothing and a glaive sleeping in the same room with the princess would have been considered unprofessional by the 95% of the nobility.

“Fine, for your safety” he murmured, as he paid for the room. 

“For my safety” Luna whispered without being heard, mostly to convince herself. 

 

 

The chamber was roomy and comfortable even though not the most modern one they had ever seen. One bed was near the balcony, the other one was on the opposite side. 

“So,” Nyx began, “you can choose now.” 

“I want the bed next to the balcony.” Luna answered without skipping a beat.

Nyx laughed.“I was expecting you to wait until I ask, but you can have that bed too if you really want it.”

“Oh, sorry, what did you want to ask me?”

“We have to buy food, water, and maybe new clothes. So I’m going to go to the market now. Do you want to stay here and have some rest all alone or do you want to come with me?” Luna was tempted by the idea of having a shower without any other man in the room, but she was thrilled by the market more.

“I haven’t been to a market in ages. I’d… like to come with you.” Nyx figured it. Of course she wanted to see the world a bit, she was kept prisoner for almost twelve years. 

“Sure.”

 

 

The market was crowded and messy, people from every part of Eos came there to buy specialities which weren’t easy to be found elsewhere. The stands were colorful, the people were noisy, but even if everything was very intense, for Luna felt like a breath of life. She finally found a distraction from the sorrow which was distressing her in the last days. She didn’t say a word, but Nyx would have noticed her enthusiasm from two hundred miles. He immediately bought her a white foulard and wrap it around her hair. 

“It would be a shame if someone recognizes you before we’re ready to start our mission’s plan, right?” Luna didn’t complain because she was too occupied looking at some dresses hung up in a corner. “Now, I’m pretty sure that’s not very comfortable for a journey like ours” Nyx commented seeing the princess looking at a very specific long white dress. 

“But it’s so beautiful” she replied, caressing the soft material. “I want this one.”

“Milady, it’s not like one hunt made me rich. If we buy that dress, we won’t be able to buy you anything else. You sure you don’t prefer something more… practical?”

Luna shook her head. “No, I want this one.”

Nyx sighed, as he remembered the times when he used to go out shopping with Selena. Luna’s expression now was exactly the same of his little sister’s. He just knew he couldn’t say no to her. Maybe girls were all like that.

“Awesome, I see you have a thing for white. Wouldn’t be nice wearing another color for a change?” he asked, taking out the money to pay the shop girl. 

“You should buy some new clothes too, Nyx. Lestallum is too warm for your leather trousers.” 

“Since I just spent almost all the money for your pretty outfit, I seriously doubt I’ll have a gil to buy something for me” Nyx said, shaking the shop bag in front of her. “So, if the leather trousers will be too warm, I’ll just have to go out naked, I suppose.” 

The princess giggled, heading herself for the next stand. When they arrived at the restaurant, she looked at it with such an excited desire, that Nyx couldn’t deny her that little pleasure either. He was sure he wasn’t even protecting her anymore: he was just fathering her, paying for every wish she had. 

They relaxed when they had dinner in the public square, they chatted a bit about the city and its history - Luna read a lot about it and she was so thrilled to finally see it with her own eyes - and then they finally headed back to the hotel. They really had fun for a couple of hours, but now it was time to go back to reality.

“You must be exhausted” Luna said casually, as Nyx opened the door to their room. 

“I am. But don’t worry, you can use the bathroom first.” 

“No, you can go first. Have a shower and change your clothes” she replied, indicating the shopping bag which contained the dark jeans and the t-shirt they actually managed to buy him somehow. 

“Okay, I’m almost sure you’re trying to insinuate I stink and that I need to have shower, right? Fine, I’ll go first.”

Fifteen minutes later, Nyx looked a brand new man. Without the Kingsglaive uniform he was finally feeling like a normal man out for a day off. He came out of the bathroom, adjusting his dark grey t-shirt on and noticed Luna on the balcony, looking at the moon. He stopped, watching her in silence for a minute. Strange enough, the only sight of her calmed him. Finally, he took a deep breath and joined her. 

“Are you okay?”

Luna boggled. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear you. Yes, I’m … Fine.”

Nyx lifted his eyes from her to watch the moon. It wasn’t a full moon, but it was large and sparkling, beautiful like no other celestial body in the sky. He looked at the girl next to him and saw no difference after all. She too was beautiful and ethereal like nothing else that night. He started to understand why she was so precious for all Eos and for every single person living in it - why she was so special for Prince Noctis too.

“So” he started, turning around to rest his back to the railing of the balcony. “Open up your hand” he ordered, with a shy smile.

Luna seemed taken back by the request. “My hand?”

“C'mon, trust me.” After some reluctance, she did as he asked. Quickly, Nyx let something sparkling falling into her hand. 

“What’s this?”

“Don’t get too excited. It’s a mere trinket they sold at the armory. It was cheap and when I saw it, I thought you would have liked it. That’s it.”  
Luna look at it under the feeble light of the night. It was a nice necklace with a small pendant of the shape of the moon. 

“This is the moon” she said like it wasn’t pretty evident by itself. Her voice was barely audible and surprised.

“Well, yeah. Your name means moon, right? So …” He shook his shoulders and tried to look indifferent. He actually wanted to understand with every fiber of his being if she actually liked it. It was the first time in ages he gifted something to a girl. His manners may have been a little dusty by now.

“This is… really nice of you. You shouldn’t have.” Luna’s voice was trembling a bit, but she tried to keep her composure calm. Concealing her feelings when he caught her by surprise like that was starting to become more difficult. “Thank you, Sir Ulric.”

He smiled. “You seemed to like my name when you used it before.”

“What? Um, yes. I like your name. Why are you saying this?”

“I don’t understand why you come up with this 'sir’ thing if you are perfectly able to call me with my proper name.”

Luna had to look down because his grey eyes were different now, on that balcony, in that situation, under that sky. They grew more invasive in his lingering gaze. “Because it helps to keep our interactions strictly professional.” she admitted. Nyx swallowed. 

“Right. We’re not on vacation here.” Saying this, he automatically straightened up and moved a bit away. He should have known this was the way it would have ended. “So... I’m, uh, gonna go to bed, yeah. Take your time. I’m gonna do everything possible to not annoy you with my presence, I promise. I’ll be quiet. Have some good rest, princess” he said, nodding in her direction.

But as he started to move away, Luna called him. “Nyx?” He turned to look into her eyes. The princess dangled the pendant in front of her. She was smiling now. “You don’t know what this is exactly, do you?” 

“Excuse me?”

“This trinket is sold in the armory because it protects you from turning into a frog in battle.”

Nyx looked at her for a good thirty seconds and then burst out laughing. “Are you serious?”

Luna giggled. “Well, my gallant soldier, you’re the one who should have known and I don’t have any need for it.”

Nyx spread his arms in disbelief. “Of course I didn’t know! I bought it because it was … cute!” He was so embarrassed now but also relieved, because the Princess was laughing with him. There was nothing better than her smile to break the ice in that heavy atmosphere. 

“I’ll carry it with me always” Luna decided as she linked the necklace. It was beautiful on her neckline which caused the lump in Nyx’s throat to bob in silence. “Just in case. You never know what the Empire wants to turn you into.” “Thank you again, Sir Ulric.”

 

 

Luna woke up with the robust scent of the coffee in the air.  
“With the cream this time,” Nyx said, giving her a cup. In the light of the morning, he looked casual, relaxed, and may the Oracle add, handsome. “Just as you like it, princess.”

Luna looked around her and took a couple of minutes to remember why she was there and why with a man like that. This used to happen often to her. At night she used to fall asleep so deep that in the morning she barely remembered anything. In this very moment, this side of her was particularly convenient, so she wouldn’t have worried too much about having been in the same room with a grown up men which was not her brother.

“What time is it?” 

“8 AM. Sorry for waking you up this early but I think we have stuff to do. Unless you want to take another day off.”

She shook her head. “No, you’re right. We have to proceed with the plan.”

“You’re finally going out in public without being disguised.”

“Yes. People think I’m dead and this probably has caused them a deep sense of lost. If they know that I’m still alive, they will start to hope again.”

Nyx grimaced his lips in a weird expression. “I was thinking more about using your 'resurrection’ to sneak into the Disc of Cauthess, but okay, I guess that giving hope to people is important, too.”

Luna adjusted her dress a bit and then put her hands on the knees in a very composed position. “Fortunately, we can do both.” 

“When I went out to buy coffee, I learned there’s a journalist named Vyvin town. He offers a lot of gil in exchange of a good scoop. I think we might use him. So we’ll have money for your expensive royal habits and … a free pass for the Disc at the same time too!”

Luna’s eyes lit with a brilliant idea. “Yes. And I perfectly know what to tell him.”

 

 

Nyx didn’t agree of course, but Luna ignored his objections and did what she wanted. 

She established a short meeting with this Vyv - a funny, overweight, nerdy guy who didn’t look like a journal president at all - and when he interviewed her, she took his hand and talked like a true Oracle to him. Nyx understood immediately that was a way to manipulate him into writing what she wanted, and he secretly found himself proud of her. But at the same time, Nyx couldn’t agree about what Luna wanted Vyv to write. 

“I still don’t get the whole picture, but healing people is… Painful for you, right? I don’t think you should do it anymore.” He recommended to the Princess when they still were in their room.

“It’s just a bit tiring, but I can handle it. Announcing a healing session via media it’s a fast way to draw the Empire’s attention on us.”

“Maybe too fast.”

“I’ll heal just a couple of people and then we’ll set off for the Disc. Hopefully enough, we’ll be unnoticed and we can arrive there… safely.” Nyx and Luna look at each other and smiled.

“Well, isn’t that what I do best?” The glaive replied, raising an eyebrow and smirking. 

Luna nodded. She just knew she was in good hands.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luna and Nyx didn’t fell in the Empire’s trap, Nyx didn’t had to use the ring and he survived. What would have happened if Nyx really had the chance to ‘see Luna safe to Altissia’, like he promised to Regis? Here the part 4: Nyx and Luna leave Lestallum, headed to the Disc of Cauthess, ready to wake up the Titan and fulfill their destiny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the story gets slowly interesting. I hope you like the ideas I had to explain things that in the game were never explained xD 
> 
> Thanks as always to my lovely beta reader @loveiscosmicsin and to @ramibriidge for the amazing art (not available on ao3 for obvious reasons) what would my fic be without you, girls, please go on supporting me like this, I love you <3

The healing session, as Luna called it, was short and it took place just one hour after Vyv’s article was published on the newspaper. Nyx escorted Luna under a marquee which was situated not very far from Lestallum and then watched over her closely as she used her powers to help everyone was in need. It was impressive how many people came even if they had so little time to prepare. Nyx tried to imagine how huge the crowd would have been if only they announced the event earlier.

As the Glaive and Oracle headed to their designation, the soldier noticed collections of graffiti on the walls throughout the city. There were quite a few probably written by delinquents like Dis Town Iz 2 hot 4 U, but the phrase that stuck out to him the most was a proclamation, a beacon of hope: Long live the Oracle.

Once again, it hit him the way how Lunafreya was loved and almost worshiped by everyone. Just mentioning her name got people got emotional and waterworks cannot be stopped in time. If he was in her place, he wouldn’t be able to bear the burden of their expectations and all he was able to think about was that the princess shouldn’t have either. It was true indeed, she was special, with special powers and a special destiny to fulfill (even though he still didn’t get the clear picture about that destiny either). But as far as he could see, she was human, too. An elegant princess with white magic destined to be the beloved bride to be of Prince Noctis, but also the girl who likes cream in her Ebony and who wants to buy only fancy dresses at the market. 

 

“Don’t push yourself,” he whispered after she healed the first girl, touching her elbow. “You don’t owe anything to these people.”

 

But Luna’s thoughts were adverse to the concern. She watched as the small crowd came by, with hope in their eyes, and she just couldn’t follow Nyx’s instructions anymore. He was right, she owed nothing to them, but at the same time, her gift afforded responsibility in using it for the others’ sake. Oracles don’t have the luxury of being selfish or to exclude anyone from treatment. She was born to serve humanity.

 

In that very moment, a man afflicted by the Starscourge was brought in her proximity. He sat on a brink of considerable pain, breathing heavily and looking numb. Luna shook off Nyx’s hand and went straight to the sick man. Nyx couldn’t do anything but rolling eyes.

 

“Lady Lunafreya…” The sick stranger said, lifting his eyes to watch her. She was deeply touched by his condition. He had black spotches on his pallid skin, clearly marking the long progression of the illness. The ailment had already deformed his face. 

 

“Please, set your heart at rest. I shall do what I can to ease your suffering” Luna whispered, swallowing. Sighing deeply, she had to be strong to give courage to these people. She gently cupped his cheeks, trying to be as delicate as she could and started to pray, “Blessed stars of life and light, deliver us from darkness’s blight.” The magic was successful, but left her exhausted. “That is all I can do for now, but trust that relief will come in a matter of days.” She nodded, trying to hide her tiredness.

 

“It’s a miracle! Oh, bless you. Thank you, Lady Lunafreya.” Seeing the relief in his eyes made Luna’s day. 

 

Nyx stepped closer once again, speaking a bit more harshly this time: “Okay, Princess, we’re done here now–” 

 

“Oh, Lady Lunafreya!” A old lady yelled, stealing Luna’s attention away from him once again. Nyx eye rolled… again. “I left on foot from my house to come see you.” 

 

“You must be exhausted.” Luna said, helping her walking. When she got herself comfortable, Luna decided to heal her too, but after that Nyx had really to impose his way.

 

“I know you won’t like what I am about to say, but we really have to leave now. Soon the Empire will know about you being here and they will come to look for you in Lestallum. If we want to sneak in the Disc of Cauthess unnoticed we have to go now.”

 

“But all these people–” 

 

“It’s your destiny we’re trying to fulfill here, not mine” he replied, raising his eyebrows in a peremptory way. 

 

Luna squeezed her eyes and then finally nodded. Nyx was right, healing people was important, but waking up the Astrals and give the ring to Noctis was even more important. She let him take her by the hand. 

 

“Alright, guys, the show is over!” Nyx called out as he pulled the princess away. 

 

They got in the car as fast as they could.

 

“No GPS. We can’t have the Empire finding a Tenebraean car fleetingly away from Lestallum right now, can we?”

 

“Do you know the way?” Luna asked, tying the belt. 

 

Nyx smirked. “Of course, Your Highness.”

 

 

Luna felt asleep pretty fast after their departure. Nyx was expecting this: so, even though she wouldn’t have ever admit it, healing people really tired her so much she had to sleep for hours immediately after. 

 

Goodness, that girl was really stubborn, why couldn’t she just confess it when he asked? Actually, Nyx had have multiple times the impression that Lunafreya was hiding something. Maybe even something dangerous. But even though he had a lot of questions about the whole situation - about the Six, about Prince Noctis, about the Oracle herself - Nyx had decided to not insist and to not force her to talk. The Princess literally begged him to trust her and that he would have do. The reason? For the Astrals’ sake, Nyx didn’t have any reason. Actually, he had more reasons to NOT trust her: afterall, she was the crazy lady who had the heart to jump from a 20 meters high flying airship on her heels just to have the chance to go back to King Regis. 

 

Nyx sighed deeply. The road ahead was clear and the bright sun warmed his bones throughout the window. He tried to keep his eyes focused on the road but they were constantly slipping on his right, where the princess rested. Why was he so worried? She was just having a nap.

 

He lengthened a hand and gently caressed her cheek, moving away a rebel lock of hair from her face. She moaned in her sleep because of his gesture, but didn’t wake up. 

 

Somewhere deep in his heart, Nyx had a bad feeling about all this.

 

 

“Princess? Princess!” 

 

Luna opened her eyes with the usual difficulty of the last time.  
“What happened?” she asked, noticing they were at a gas station.

 

“We’re going to have our last pit stop before the big event at the Disc. Five minutes only. I thought you wanted to have some time for yourself to concentrate for whatever you have to do there. … Or maybe just some time to use the bathroom or have an Ebony to wake you up” he said, with a small smile. 

 

“Oh, yes…” Luna answered, grabbing a bag from the backseat and getting out of the car. It was late afternoon already and soon, dusk. She had slept for a long time. “I’m sorry, Nyx.”

 

Somehow, Nyx understood what she was trying to say. Luna was not apologizing for sleeping so long, she was apologizing because she still couldn’t explain him the reason beyond her half-truths and hidden purposes.  
Nyx rested his elbows on the rooftop of the car and wave at her with two fingers.

 

“It’s okay. Take your time now.” 

 

Luna smiled, innerly glad for his empathy. That attitude made of him the closest thing to a friend she had right now. A diligent guardian. A loyal supporter.

After five minutes, Luna came back wearing the long white dress she bought in Lestallum. 

 

“You must be kidding me” Nyx murmured, gulping at the sight of it.

 

“Do I look terrible?” Luna asked as she turned on her heels, worried by his reaction.

Nyx made a funny expression which was a mix between embarrassment and exasperation. “No! I mean, yes! Yes, you’re gorgeous, but that’s—”

 

“Gorgeous?” Luna stopped her twirl to look at him with surprise.

 

“What I mean is that,” Nyx quickly continued, his face blushing, “a long white dress like that isn’t quite the most comfortable outfit for facing the Titan.”

 

“Oh, really? And what do you know about the Archaean that I don’t?” Nyx made a grimace and opened his arms but couldn’t say anything. “What I’m going to do is a proper ceremony. You’re right, it may get a bit ‘dusty’, but at the same time you must realize that we are going to be in front of a deity. I’m sure they shall appreciate manners and elegance, the whole showing off.”

 

“Well, as far as I know, what deities do appreciate are their purest virgins naked and covered in blood… Which would actually be interesting to watch for me too, so let me know if we’re going to have that, okay?” He smirked, raising his eyebrows very high, trying to joke around and cheer her up a bit. 

 

Lunafreya froze in the place. She just stood there, with no reaction, her face suddenly blank, staring back at him. 

 

Nyx’s smile died pretty quick. “Oh, wait, that was …” He started to murmur. “Princess? That was a joke. I mean… a very lame joke. I’m so sorry for being an ass, I …” He wanted to put his hands on her shoulders, but he stepped back instead, trying to catch her gaze so to wake her up from her trance. In the meantime, he cursed himself for being so stupid. What the hell was he thinking? What kind of joke was that? The sexual allusion really had been highly immature and also 'unprofessional’ - and that was probably the reason why she reacted like that. “Princess?”

 

Luna moved a bit, putting a hand over her heart. “Don’t… apologize.”

 

“Yes, of course, I apologize. I am clearly not used to manners but I promise that I’ll shut up and–”

 

“Nyx.” Her voice was firmer this time. “Do not worry. Let us go.”

 

Nyx bit his tongue and nodded. Something was wrong, he thought as he watched her get on the car, something that laid deeper in her heart and that she wasn’t telling him. And that had nothing to do with his lame joke. She was keeping something away from him on purpose and whatever that thing was, it was consuming her.

 

 

They stopped the car in a safe place and they continued on feet. As they reached the front, hidden by darkness, they breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“My plan actually worked. There are just a couple of magitek soldiers guarding the Disc’s entrance” Nyx said, gently pushing the princess beyond his back so they wouldn’t have been noticed.

 

“But if you knocked them out, the security cameras will record it and others will come.”

Nyx studied the situation with his military-trained eyes and answered:  
“Not likely. It looks like the Empire came here recently and they surely didn’t have the time to adjust the cameras.” He then smiled. “But who really cares? We have to sneak in anyway, right?”

Luna nodded. “So what can I do?”

 

“You? With that pretty dress, nothing. Leave the dirty for me. You just have to save your breath for the ritual.”

Luna looked at him, with worry and gratitude in her eyes. “Please stay safe.”

He nodded, thanking her in his mind for not reminding him again that he was almost powerless without his magic.

 

Nyx stepped ahead with caution, staying in the darkness to avoid to alarm everyone. The first MT’s would have been easy to knock down even without his warp, but the other four would have been a challenge. But they were the only thing between them and the Titan, so he had to succeed. 

 

He wielded the kukri, feeling underneath his fingers the familiar consistence of the weapon. He knew he could do it. He was trained for this. He wouldn’t have permit the Empire to hurt the Princess like they hurt Selena and his mother ages ago. This time he wouldn’t have been that powerless.  
Nyx glanced at the Princess for one last time to find the last encouragement he needed and then the show started. 

 

He took the first soldier by surprise, stabbing him in the neck with his kukri and then he acrobatically jumped back to shutdown another one too. Two done. Three magiteks to go. 

 

This time he was totally exposed under the light, there was no way to take them by surprise again. The three MT’s approached him the same way they always did: they mechanically pointed at him their guns and tried to shoot. But they were just machines. They were slow and Nyx knew their moves because he fought them for years. He ran fast, confusing them with some quick moves they couldn’t catch nor anticipate. The third soldier was stabbed in the chest and the fourth fell under the punch of his left arm. Since just one was left, Nyx decide to use the kukri for a precise throwing. He didn’t fail. He stand there, watching the magitek soldier falling, realizing that even without his powers he still had some moves. He was actually surprised he did it all with such a velocity. 

 

He took his kukri back and looked around. A giant door was closed in front of him but a switch positioned right on the left would have opened it. He quickly pushed it and like he expected the door opened. Everything was so silent. Even if with all the shadows he couldn’t see well, he thought it was safe enough to let the Princess coming out.

 

“Clear! Welcome to the Disc of Cauthess, Princess!” He screamed, but exactly when Lunafreya came out a Magitek soldier appeared on the top of the wall and start shooting. Luna immediately stepped back but Nyx lift his eyes to check the position of soldier. He was too far to throw the kukri, he had to take him from another angle. 

 

“Princess, go!” Luna hesitated because she couldn’t see where the bullets were coming from but in the end she decided she had to take the risk. She lift the hem of her dress and started running towards the huge door. She stopped there, watching Nyx taking cover a bit further.

 

“What about you?” she screamed, hoping to be heard.

 

Nyx was barely listening. He was trying to find the dangerous magitek soldier in the darkness. “Well, I suppose I will manage it somehow. But you’ve got deities to wake up, right? What are you waiting for? Go!”

 

Luna hesitated once again, this time worrying about him and his safety. What if he got shoot again? What if leaving him behind meant losing him this time? But sadly enough, there was nothing she could do if not obeying him and entering in the Disc alone. Her magic was revejuvenation, not meant for offense and time was running out now. She couldn’t fail him. She swallowed hard and then started running.

 

 

The Disc of Cauthess was a huge mass of rocks which would have been beautiful in the morning light, but which was pure hell in the shadows of the night. Some fires where lit on the ground, like residues of lava, but except those it was only darkness. 

 

Luna moved carefully, touching the rocky walls of the path with her fingers to provide leverage. Nyx was right about the dress: it really wasn’t comfortable to walk in the Disc and she thought about it with a smile.

 

“I have to move fast” she whispered, remembering that her friend was behind, to risk his life for her at the entrance. Every second could have been his last if she didn’t act quick.

 

She reached the peak where the tomb of a Lucian king - Noctis’ ancestor - lied and took a deep breath. That was the place. That was the moment.  
But before she could start, she felt a presence behind her. She turned around to see beyond the shadows a familiar face appeared. 

 

“Gentiana…”

 

The woman stepped ahead, her eyes closed as always. She was holding the hands clasped in front of her but as she reached the Oracle she lift her palms in the air and a trident appeared, shining in the darkness with the light of thousands stars.

Luna awed in wonder, recognizing pretty quick the marvelous weapon. “But that is…”

 

“The Trident of the Oracle. The heirloom of your family that connects you between the two realms: that of mankind and heaven above.”

 

Luna regained her composure and quietly sighed. “Ravus didn’t allow to take it with me in Insomnia so I thought I left it in Tenabrae.”

 

“Your brother was the one who entrusted it to me. It was his gift, a sign of peace.”

 

Lunafreya felt her heart clutching and her tense expression changed in a pained one. “Ravus… wants me to have the trident?”

Gentiana opened her eyes, her emerald eyes gleamed fondness. “Lord Ravus deeply cares for your well-being as kin would. His lust for power would never obscure that.”

Luna couldn’t bear her gaze and looked down at her own shaking hands.  
“I don’t understand. He doesn’t want me to bond with anyone of the line of Lucis because he thinks that this will kill me in the end. Why does he send the trident to me now?”

 

“It’s a silent vow. For him to support you til the very end. No matter how sad your destiny will be, your gentle soul has touched the hearts of many beings, young Oracle. And your brother makes no difference.”

 

“Is Ravus… alive?”

Even if she didn’t show, Luna missed a lot the Ravus which used to be an actual brother to her. She was fond of memories of him in their native homeland, playing in the gardens of the palace or secretely reading together books in the library that their mother considered 'for adults only’. Before Noctis, Ravus was her best friend. And yes, she missed that because after the Empire came, everything changed.

 

“Being alive is a fleeting commodity for him as it is for you.”

 

“What I do is for the sake of the world. He must know that by now.” Luna said, this time more determined. 

 

“Yes, you’re tied to the world’s fate and this places a heavy burden on your shoulders. The barter will cost you something that not only your brother would have spared.” 

 

Luna took a minute to understand about who she was talking now. But when she did, she suddenly felt sad. “This is the reason why I must not tell anyone” she answered, her brow furrowing. “I will bear alone the heavyweight of my destiny.” She lengthened her hands, ready to welcome the glowing trident, which Gentiana gave her with a nod. 

 

Luna stared at the weapon for a while, reflecting about how that weapon would have accompanied her to the end. It was strange the way she was attached to it anyway. Her foremothers, the previous Oracles including her late-mother have rested their faith into that weapon as they faced the darkness with unwavering resolve. She shall not fail them.

“Keeping it secret is a wise choice” Gentiana started again, whispering this time. “Not even the unwavering wolf can stop his moon from a eclipse.”

 

“Nyx is a man of honor.” Luna swallowed. “He will do what it takes for the destiny of the world, too. As must we all.”

 

Gentiana smiled, gently nodding and then disappeared. 

 

Luna wielded the trident with a fierce satisfaction. With that she was finally able to use all her magic and that made her feel useful. With that she felt powerful. But with that came also a bizarre feeling of sadness and almost anguish, probably due to the conversation she just had with Gentiana, a deity who stood by her side for years as much as she considered her more like a friend than like an actual goddess. She couldn’t be wrong: if Gentiana said that Ravus would have tried to support her even if he didn’t agree with her decisions, she was surely right; and if she said that Nyx would have tried to stop her like her brother did in the past, she was surely right in that case too. Thinking about these two men made her lower the trident and hesitate. What she was about to do… was it really fine? 

 

She thought of Noctis, too. Their destiny was more similar than she liked to admit. Maybe he would have tried to stop her, too, if he only knew what would have expect them. But then again, she couldn’t be stopped now because she chose this path and she did it for the greater good.

Yes. The greater good.

She couldn’t let doubt cloud this vision, not with the trident in her hands, not right in the Titan’s lair.

 

She decided to stop thinking, that was only hurting her. No turning back now.

 

“God of the mountain,” she started, raising her voice towards the huge mass of rocks in front of her. “I beseech you! Wake up from your slumber and listen to my call. The fate of mankind relies on your blessing!” 

 

For a long minute there was only silence and then suddenly the trident started to glow like it was on fire. Lunafreya didn’t drop it, on the contrary, she raised it to the mountain and repeated the incantation: “God of the mountain, I beseech you! It is me, Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Blood of the Oracle, and you will heed my call!”

 

A earthquake started to shake the floor, and its intensity grew stronger as what it looked like a mountain took a semi-human form. A inhuman scream came from it, something terrific and powerful too. 

 

Luna watched the Titan appearing with fear in her heart but calmness on her face, certain that whatever it would have happen she had to show herself strong in order to succeed.

 

Titan roared once again and what he said was not understandable by anyone but Lunafreya. 

 

“Yes, I need you to respond to my prayers, for you are a stepping stone in guaranteeing the True King his ascension.” 

 

The earth trembled once more. The floor she was on started to fade underneath her feet. Rocks fell from Titan’s arms, she breathed the powder and smelled his heavyweight.

 

For two minutes it was pure chaos, yet she stood firm, feeling a thousand emotions within her. 

 

And then, the silence.

 

 

Nyx limped in the darkness, touching the wall to stay on his feet in case that another earthquake came. After the destruction of Galahd and the fall of Insomnia, what he just lived was legitimately one of the worst experience he had ever have. The floor trembling under his feet - and the entire situation in general - gave him the awful feeling of being helpless like a child and he didn’t like it at all. 

 

Even now for example, he couldn’t see where he was stepping, but he had to find the princess and escape, before the entire Imperial army found them.  
He glanced into the shadows and just felt that the princess was somewhere near. He didn’t dare to call her though, amazed and also scared by the sight of the Titan from afar. It was incredible that such a powerful creature was summoned by a petite girl like Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. It was incredible and also, fascinating. 

 

“Nyx?” 

 

Her voice came out of the darkness so suddenly that he shivered.  
“Princess?” He turned around but couldn’t see her. She had to be close though. “Where are you?”

 

“Here.” The gentle touch of her hand reached him right on the arm she already healed once. Nyx boggled and moaned softly. “You’re hurt.”

Her concern hit him a bull’s eye on a soft spot of his heart. “Nah, it’s just a scratch.” 

 

“You said the same thing the last time as well,” Luna rebuked, “and we all know what the reality was.”

Nyx smirked. “You got me there. It’s also the same arm, maybe my destiny is to lose it.”

 

Luna sighed and even if he couldn’t see her face, he could see the delicate glow of her white magic spotting the wound and starting to heal it. “No!” he said, taking her by the hand to stop her. The glow disappeared and they were in the darkness again. “I’m fine, I don’t want you to heal me.” 

 

“Nyx, you’re wounded again because of me. Healing you is the least i can do—”

 

“No, I understand now that healing takes a hell of a toll on you. Save that energy for yourself.”

Not seeing her permitted him to feel everything else better. He felt her cold skin, her hands being unsteady, her delicate presence, her breath on his shoulder.

“Tell me now about you. How did the covenant go? Are you okay?”

 

“I’m fine,” she said, too quickly for him to believe it. He reached out to her cheek with his larger, calloused hand and gently caressed it. 

 

“It looks like you’re lying, too. Let’s get out of here, Princess. Your job is done, right? Let’s find a place where you can rest.”

 

“The Titan will grant his blessing to Noctis, the alliance was successfully forged. So, yes, I think my job here is done.”

They distanced themselves a bit from one another, but didn’t let their hands go. It was a quiet neccessity, the physical closeness amid the darkness brought security. They turned back toward the entrance, but Luna halted for a second. 

 

“What?” Nyx asked.

 

Luna raised an eyebrow, a amused exspression she usually didn’t dare to show in public. “The Archaean has a strange way in showing his favor. I guess that Noctis will suffer a bit of migraine in the next days.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx and Luna take a little break, and even if Nyx knows by now that Luna hides a secret, he just can’t help but staying at her side, supporting her. Even in front of the Lord of the Storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this time the chapter is longer than I expected, yet I decided to not split it in two. I hope you like the romance because I will kinda push it from now on ;) Thanks as always to @loveiscosmicsin for being my beta reader and @ramibriidge for the love and the amazing arts (available on tumblr)

Nyx streched a bit in the bed, rolling over to his side. The sleep was good for once and he never felt better. How much time pass since he slept this well? He didn’t remember. Actually, he couldn’t answer on why he felt so good now. 

A thought crossed his mind and the image of Titan from afar appeared. That Titan. Oh, right, he and the princess infiltrated the Disc of Cauthess the night before and she forged the covenant with the Archaean. Now that they were back in the motel, they were having the rest they deserved.

He quickly opened his eyes and found himself in a motel room with dark green walls and a not-so-pleasant odor. He was sleeping with heavy blankets over his body and not far from where he was, there was another bed where Lunafreya was resting. 

He finally remembered what happened after they faced the Titan: they were both exhausted when they barely arrived at the motel. They didn’t even ask for separate rooms. They just accepted to sleep under the same roof so they wouldn’t have to arrange the schedule again. Anyway, they both fell fast asleep with their clothes still on their backs. 

Nyx sat on his bed and rubbed his eyes. He checked the clock: it was 9AM. He didn’t actually sleep long, just six hours. 

He looked at the princess, covered in her blanket, the hands tucked under the pillow. She had a very calm expression, her face still dirty from the debris from the Disc, her hair loosely tossed on the sheets. The morning light was literally make her shine as if she really was the moon and Nyx lost track of time watching her. He stood there like that for awhile, maybe thirty seconds, maybe five minutes, he couldn’t tell. But it was relaxing. 

It wasn’t the first time he had slept next to a girl – he grown up with his little sister, Crowe was in the same military unit as he was that it wasn’t unusual to bunk up on the field, and he also had several one-night stands. But whatever the relationship was with those girls, he never would have stay the entire morning watching them sleeping. With the princess now, it was different. 

He shook his head. What the hell was he doing? He hid his embarrassment with a silent laugh, then he stood up and headed to the bathroom. He had a cold shower - which was greatly appreciated - and watched himself in the mirror’s reflection. He adjusted his braid and checked the wounds of the precedent day and—

Wait. Wounds. Where were his wounds? He touched his left arm, then his face, going as far to check his limp. Everything was gone. He was perfectly healed. How…? 

He rolled his eyes and sighed. He quickly pulled a t-shirt on and walked out.  
The noise he made slamming the door woke Lunafreya up, sparing the Glaive the effort of waking her up himself.

“What happened?” Still half-asleep, Luna spoke with her delicate voice. She really wasn’t a morning person.

“You healed me.” Nyx crossed his arms and tried to look pissed. He wasn’t really mad, of course, just worried.

“Excuse me…?” Luna rubbed her eyes and then watched him. 

“I specifically asked you not to heal my wounds. Yet, I woke up as good as I never was.”

“You make it sound like a terrible thing.” She yawned.

“It is!” he replied, opening his arms.

“How? You’re healthy and in good shape now!” She mimicked his gesture in a very funny way. Nyx really had to make an effort to not start laughing.

“I’m serious, Princess. Even though you will never admit it, it is clear as day that healing people takes a lot outta you. And whatever that is, I don’t want to be the cause of it.”

“I could say the same for you! I don’t want you to fight and get hurt because of me!” She paused, averting her gaze briefly before noticing the Glaive’s stance didn’t change. “It looks like we both are not very happy with the way we use our bodies to save each other, and yet here we are. And we are a team, Nyx Ulric. From now on, I’ll let you help me only if you’ll let me help you.” 

“I..” Nyx put the hands on his hips, dumbfounded. “I am your guardian! It’s my duty to protect you!” He tried to say.

“Yes and I’m your future Queen, so it’s my duty to act in your best interest.”

Nyx turned around and then faced her again, frustrated that the royal card was pulled on him. “You can do your talking very well, I’ll give you that.”

She did an half-smile, and with some self-satisfaction, boasted, “You know, politics and my adept navigation in compromises.”

“Please, don’t do it again.”

“What? Speaking like a politician or healing you?”

Nyx smiled and sat in the bed in front of her with his elbows on the knees.“Both.”

“I can’t promise anything.”

“Man, you’re stubborn as hell, really.” Again, she smiled like he was complimenting her. “So, how do you feel?”

The question make her concentrate back to her health and she tried to listen to her body. “Tired as I expected.”

“Nothing new then.” He grimaced. “So, what do you want to do now? Take a day off, sleep all day? Maybe you deserved it, you know, after speaking with deities…”

Luna thought about it for a few seconds and then she fell back on the bed.  
“I’d love to, but we have to go after the next Astral. The Lord of the Storm. Ramuh.”

“Yeah, wow, sounds like a lot of fun, but if you’re tired, you’d better get some rest. There’s still time. Surely the prince hasn’t even figured out what he has to do. Probably he’s still having fun somewhere with his friends.” 

Luna looked somehow surprised hearing that. She sat upright again and fixed the Glaive with an inquistive stare. “Why are you saying that?” 

Nyx hesitated one second and then decided to share what he heard. “Someone may have told me he was in Hammerhead with his friends the other day. Having fun. Joking around.” Luna frowned a bit, but didn’t say anything. She didn’t look upset, only surprised, and that pushed Nyx to add, “He’s still a kid, Princess. Give time to him and he will do what he has to.”

“You…” She started, slowly at a question. “Have you ever met him?” 

“The prince? Well, yeah, of course. Sort of. It’s not like I ever had a drink with him, but I did escort him sometimes. It was part of my job, when I was not in the battlefield against the Niffs.” 

Luna suddenly looked sad and shy. “And what is he like?”

Nyx felt uncomfortable. “You know, it’s weird you have to ask me to describe your future husband.” 

“I know, it’s just…” She started, looking even sadder. “I didn’t have the chance to meet him in the past twelve years and all I know was what he wrote in the notebook. And trust me when I say Noctis isn’t a really entertaining storyteller.” 

“So the marriage really was arranged.”

“Yes but I really care for him and—” Luna stopped when she noticed she was giving to much away. Nyx was staring at her, waiting her continuation, a respectful expression on his face, he really seemed to care. Yet, he was not allowed to. Nyx wasn’t her best friend. He was only her bodyguard. “It is of no consequence,” she said, standing up. “I’m going to refresh myself. Would you mind to… go out and find me some Ebony, please? If you can…”

Nyx crossed his arms and scrolled his shoulders.“Okay, I’ll go but …” He looked at her with his insightful grey eyes, “You shouldn’t keep everything for yourself, Princess. You need to talk to someone, and the longer we’re in this road trip, the more you’ll need a friend in where you can put your trust.”

He stood up, gently patted on her head like she was a little girl, and walked out of the room. 

Luna crossed the hands over her heart, her fingers casually caressing the necklace in a moon’s form that he gave to her and her face grew hot. Since he was so kind to her, she felt so ashamed for not telling him the truth, for not telling him a lot of things in general. She looked for the Ring of the Lucii in her pocket, not only to remind herself if it was still there, but also to remember the duty she was born into. She suddenly felt herheart ache too, a feeling that she hadn’t particularly felt towards anyone, a kindled connection. Her breath was stolen away for three long seconds. She glanced at her hands and saw her veins in her wrists turned black before the blue faded behind pale flesh. She gritted her teeth and sighed.

“I’m sorry, Nyx. I’m so sorry.”

For so many things, she didn’t even know what exactly.

 

 

Nyx took a little longer for coming back with the Ebony, and he found out that Luna went back to sleep again. She must have been really tired, he thought.  
He drank his coffee alone on a wooden chair, watching her from afar. Again, he found her so beautiful that it was calming, but not only that. She was so distant now, too. She was clearly hiding so much from him and all he wanted in that very moment was to burn the distance between them and being the only person in the world she could trust. In the end, frustration and boredom ruined his day. 

Nyx didn’t have other choice than allow her to sleep until late afternoon. When he finally decided to wake her up, he touched her arm and shook her a bit.

“Mh? Oh no…” She said, understanding immediately what happened by only looking at his face. 

“Well, maybe we still have time for dinner.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up before the sunset?” She tried to sit up but Nyx carefully pushed her down again, easily winning over her.

“Because you needed rest and you would never admit it.”

“We can leave now.”

“During the nighttime? Oh, no, we won’t. I’m not in the mood to fight daemons now.”

Luna hid her face in the pillow, but watched him with an accusing eye. “So why did you wake me up now?”

He raised an eyebrow. “I told you. We’re still on time for dinner. Not hungry?”

 

 

Nyx insisted for her to wear a foulard again. It gave him some peace of mind not compromising the Oracle’s identity when they’re out in public.

Luna didn’t argue too much because she found it cute, almost felt like a diva with it. She had to complain when she found out where he was taking her though. “I don’t know if this is the right place for me…” She began, looking confused.

Nyx laughed at her expression. “You mean, it’s not appropriate to take the mighty and graceful Princess Oracle to…” He cupped a hand around his mouth in a hush-hush manner before whispering with a freakish expression equating to an iconic mascot, “…Kenny Crow?”

Luna covered her ears and smiled back. “This is so creepy, please stop, I hate that bird!”

“Oh, now this is interesting. The model of harmony and piousness here is actually saying she hates a living creature?” 

They were passing next to the bench were the statue of Kenny Crow was positioned and Luna looked at it with digust. “Please stop.”

Nyx couldn’t, she was just too cute to watch, all frightened by the creepy mascot. Teasing her was actually funnier than he thought.

“Don’t worry, Princess, I solemnly vowed to be your bodyguard and see you safe to Altissia. The big bad bird’s not gonna grab you on my watch.”

Luna glanced at him with disbelief in her eyes and they both entered in the restaurant. That really wasn’t the place for a princess, and yet it was funny to see her there, ordering some fries with mayonnaise at the counter.

Nyx got closer with the excuse of helping her choosing the menu. “I’ll have a hamburger instead. You should try it someday, too.” He whispered at her ear.

She was all red, the whole situation was so new and weird for her. “Okay…” 

“You never had a burger?”

“I… Guess… Is it something typical of Lucis?”

Nyx laughed, shaking his head. “Common staple cuisine at diners and drive-thrus. Oh man, what did they feed you with back in Tenabrae? You never lived if you never had a burger.”

In the end, they were both sitting on the table, one in the front of the other, Luna with her fries, Nyx with a giant hamburger, sampling from each other’s dish. Nyx kept teasing her for awhile but stopped when Luna began to answer back, tired of being mocked. Suddenly they were such in a good mood they didn’t stop laughing for the entire dinner time. Nyx told her a lot of funny anecdotes about the food back in Galahad, about him and Libertus stealing it from the market, and about the way they were caught by their mothers right after. And again, he told her about Galahad, the beauty of that forgotten land, about the nice little house they used to have there.

“Selena was having a garden in the back, full with all sorts of weird flowers. She had a thing for botany and I never understood why. Me and Libertus prefered to go out. The parties took place on daily basis, you know, chatting up girls and eating trash food.”

“That would explain why you took me to Kenny Crow.”

Nyx gave her a beautiful large smile. “Yeah, it looks like I didn’t lose my bad habits.” 

“You know what? I had a beautiful garden in Tenabrae too. I collected flowers there but my favorite ones were sylleblossoms.”

“Awesome. My sister and you would have got along well!” He said that smiling, but he turned sad in the end. “Yeah, really licked.” 

Luna understood she was truly enjoying his smile only when she saw it disappearing from his face. 

“You surely were an amazing brother, Nyx” she said, her voice delicate and comforting. “You still have something to fight for. You have to find Libertus, right? And then, when Noctis will reclaim his throne, you’ll have your homes back. You all will have a home to build a new future.”

 

Nyx glanced at her. “You sure? You mean, you’re gonna fire me as soon as all this is over? Might need a bodyguard in times of peace, too.”

Luna smiled, looking at her fries like they suddenly became the most interesting thing in the world and said nothing. She didn’t have an answer to that. She didn’t want to talk about her future.

Nyx lengthened on the table and tried to meet her eyes again. “Maybe you can come to visit Galahd instead. You’d love it.”

Luna smiled, looking amused.“Maybe…” She whispered. “…Will you show me the lake full of leeches you were talking about?” 

“Hell yeah! And we’ll throw Libertus in it!” 

“Poor sir Libertus!” 

They laughed again and finished their dinner. When they had to go back to the motel, there was some embarrassment this time. They slept in the same room two times already, but after a dinner like that - something that incredibly felt like a date - it was weird to enter in the same chamber. 

“I’ll ask at the reception if they have another free room.” Nyx said. “Let you have some privacy.”

Luna agreed and was actually relieved when they told him the room next to hers wasn’t occupied. At the same time, watching her Glaive moving in another room was surprisingly sad too. She was truly enjoying the evening in his company and maybe she didn’t want it to end.

“I’ll knock at your door at 7, so we can leave soon” Nyx explained, when they were in the corridor. He probably didn’t want to end their good time so soon either. “I think it’s about time you tell me where the next deity is.”

“Somewhere near the Malacchi Hills.” Nyx tugged his ear. 

“We’re not far,” he said. “I’ll wake up earlier to buy some things like potions and stuff this time though. I’d prefer you to save your energy for emergencies.”

“That is a sound plan.” She rested her hand on the door handle but didn’t open it. She looked at him again and stood still, making Nyx wondering if she felt the same or if she had something on her mind.

“Anything else… I can do for you, Princess?” 

Luna’s face was so red now, she almost felt blood pulsing underneath her cheeks.

“No, nothing important, it’s just that… It was fun. I haven’t done anything like that in ages. So… Thank you.” 

 

Nyx stared at her, not caring if he was shameless. He just wanted to photograph in his mind every detail of her in that very moment, when she was thankful and happy. She truly wasn’t in a very long time, he could tell. 

“I thought you hated Kenny Crow,” he smiled, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yes, but I felt safe by your side.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m so much better than a restaurant’s crap mascot.”

Luna giggled and pushed the door to enter in her room, when Nyx hold her back, grabbing her wrist. He didn’t know the reason of that gesture, as a matter of fact he immediately let her go.

“I’m sorry,” he said, really mortified. He felt like such a jerk, but Luna puckered her lips.

“It’s fine. Goodnight, Nyx Ulric.”

He hesitated and then lightly waved at her. “’Night, Lady Lunafreya…” 

Luna closed the door behind her and sighed. Her heart was somehow beating on a different pace, slower yet faster. That interaction had flustered her. She suddenly remembered something and gasped, turning back to open the door again.

She found Nyx there, ready to knock.

“Oh!” They said simultaneously and laughed. 

“You first.” Luna gestured at him, calmly easing away from the embarrassment. Not one of their valiant moments to share.

“No, it’s just that I was wondering…” Nyx began, stuttering a bit, “If you never had a hamburger before, you probably never had a beer either, right? Maybe …?” He trailed off as he pointed at the exit. 

Luna wide opened her eyes, very surprised but also pleased by the offer.  
“Yes, I’d love to. Well, it’s late but I slept until 6 PM and… I hope you will stop me before i get drunk though, otherwise you would be so…”

“Fired?”

“Yes, sort of. Discharged would be a more polite term.”

Nyx couldn’t believe she was actually accepting his invite.

“I’ll take the risk.” He was already biting his lip so hard it would have start bleeding very soon. “So, Princess,” he began, releasing his lip, “Shall we…?” 

“Nyx, wait, there’s something I wanted to ask you before.” He stopped and waited for her to talk. She looked so serious now, it was difficult to guess what she was about to say. 

Luna took a deep breath and then took out from her pocket a little chain, insignificant if it wasn’t the Ring of the Lucii in it. Nyx stared at it like it was a corpse or a death sentence.

“What is that suppose to mean?” he mumbled, surprised and confused. Actually, he really had a funny expression on his face right now.

“I was wondering… If you can help me in… bearing the weight of the future.”

Nyx froze and stared at her with wide eyes, not sure if what he was hearing was true.“Excuse me?”

“Last night, when I woke up the Archaean… I thought that if something happened to me, then who would have bring the ring to Noctis? Or what if I simply couldn’t have the strength to fulfill my destiny? I … I need someone to help me in this. Even though it may not be necessary, I need to know there’s someone helping me in my time of need.”

She held the necklace to him, but Nyx stopped her by holding her hand in his.

“No, I can’t do it. The power of this ring confuses me too much… You told me about the Old Wall. About the Kings of Lucis. They… watched Insomnia burn and did nothing! They were no kings! And I’m so mad about it. I can’t be objective. You should be the one holding the ring.”

“You’re right, the power of the ring is something beyond your control. But here’s the truth, it’s something beyond my control as well. In any case, it is our only hope. If Noctis doesn’t receive it, all our efforts… all our sacrifices will be vain. That’s the reason why you must help me. If I won’t be able to fulfill my destiny, please tell me you’ll be by my side, ending what I can’t.”

“If you can’t, nobody can.” Nyx really meant it. He was so genuinely convinced that she was the only one up for the task, he simply never doubted it. He never thought she would ask him something like that, because in his mind he already pictured her like almighty and unstoppable. But then a thought crossed his mind: he was expecting from her too much, exactly like the ill people who he used to deplore some days before in Lestallum. He swallowed. “And even if someone else could, that wouldn’t be me. It should be someone you trust.”

Luna’s eyes were almost wet when she admitted, “That’s why I am asking you.”

Nyx stared at that beautiful face, so different from the smiling one he saw just a couple of minutes ago. His stomach burned and his throat turned dry.

“You were planning to ask me this all along or it’s something you came up with now?”

“I do not jest, Nyx. I really trust in you enough to ask something like this.”

“We just met a week ago. I don’t think that’s enough time to go around waving a promise ring.”

She thought about it and realized that was true. Yet, that short time was so intense, it felt like ages. “It doesn’t matter. I trusted you with my life and you didn’t fail me. I’m sure you never will either.”

Nyx was about to give up, Luna could tell by the wavering strength he was using holding her hand. He looked down at the ring, fearing it but also admiring it.  
“So much trust in a person who dared to take you to Kenny Crow for dinner and who offered to pay you all the beers you want just so you can relax.”

Luna smiled, taking it as a yes. She got closer, so she could gently put the little chain around his neck. Doing so, she ended up caressing his collar and got herself lost for a short while. “Thank you.” She whispered. 

“I…” Nyx said, closing his eyes and bit down on his lip. He grabbed her wrist and waited a second. “I don’t trust myself as you do, so please don’t give up. I’ll take the ring for a little while, but you should be the one to take it to the Prince. You can fulfill your destiny and you will.”

He looked at her and that was scary. Or better, Luna felt so terrified. His eyes were so deep and expressive, so intrusive and breathtaking, she barely knew how to react. She swallowed hard and stepped away, before she could do something nonsense. 

“Very well. We should have that beer now.”

Nyx nodded, adjusting the necklace on him. It was really heavy, in a lot of ways.

“Yeah, I need it more than ever.”

 

 

Nyx wished he never accepted the ring. Having it on the neck gave him goosebumps every time he thought about it and also made him feel more responsible and less reckless. Now he understood why Luna wanted to entrust it to someone else. 

He hid it under his t-shirt and left his motel room. The sun was shining through the corridor’s window as he knocked at the princess’s door, like their new daily routine included by now. “Milady? Are you up?” He heard a small noise, a grump and then her sleepy voice:

“…Kind of.”

Nyx smiled. “I’m going for some Ebony in the meantime. See you in five.” 

When he came back with the usual coffee and croissants, she was at least awake and dressed up. She let him in and they had their breakfast.

“The cream in the Ebony for Your Highness.” Nyx said, giving the largest cup to her. “I chose this size because I thought you would need it after how much you drank last night.”

“Hey, you talk like I got drunk.”

Nyx raised an eyebrow and sit back on his chair, smiling at her beyond his cup. “That you did.” 

“No, I didn’t” she replied, pointing at him with the finger. “I was just a bit tipsy.” 

Nyx decided to let her win this time, even though he remained firm with his opinion. “Okay, enjoy your breakfast now because we’re not gonna stop until we arrive to our destination.”

“Can I change my clothes there?”

“If you insist in using that uncomfortable but fancy dress for your rituals, I guess we’ll have to. Titan liked it, didn’t he?”

Luna smacked him on the arm but didn’t change her mind about her Oracle outfit and was determined to use it whenever she could, even though she testified by now how much unpractical it was. That was her only request and Nyx couldn’t deny it. 

They left very soon for the Malacchi Hills, their destination. 

It was a beautiful day and they enjoyed every single breath of fresh air they got. They were both kind of thoughtful so they didn’t need to talk too much. They turned the music on and listened to it for almost all the time, only commenting from time to time their respective personal taste on the subject. It turned out they were both very elastic about music and didn’t mind to try new genres, so they kept switching from one radio station to the other in order to find find something they like. All of a sudden, they tuned into a radio conference which released the interview Luna conceded to Vyv a couple of days before:

“Thought I am still young, my blood is true. As my mother before me, I’ll work to bring peace to one and all. …”

 

“That’s enough” Luna said, switching to another radio station.

“Why?” Nyx flatly complained. “The best part of your interview was coming.”  
Luna preferred to listen to a lame country song than crediting the Glaive of the compliment. Nyx glanced at her very quickly and then insisted, “You really did a great job in telling people what they want to hear.” Luna narrowed her eyes and waited, making Nyx smirk: “I mean, in giving people hope.”

“That’s an improvement.” She replied and then sighed to the distance, “I only hope Noctis will hear the interview and find encouragement in it …”

“Well, at least he’ll know you survived.” Nyx kept being distracted by her sad and thoughtful face. “Hey, you’re doing a great job in passing a good word or two to him, too.” 

Luna smiled, acknowledging the way Nyx managed to ease her concerns again. 

 

 

They parked the car near to a famous chocobo ranch and it took a lot of self-control for the both of them to not waste time with the adorable big birds. They had more important things to do and the night was too close to delay. 

Luna quickly changed her clothes in the bathroom of a caravan - with a lot of obvious eye-rolling coming from Nyx - and then they moved on foot. Luna didn’t know exactly where to go, she just knew Ramuh was close. Nyx followed her and made sure she didn’t trip in that ridiculous dress. He started to worry only when dusk settled in and the light of the twilight was barely visible in the forest they entered. 

“Your Highness, you sure this is the place? It feels like we’re gonna have some daemon-related problems here pretty soon.”

Luna didn’t say anything and kept walking, concentrate as she has never been. The humidity in the wood was so thick she started to perspire and breathed heavily. She was very weak already, but now the external conditions made it worse. She leaned down a tree log to catch her breath. 

“Are you all right?” Nyx asked, gently touching her back. Luna grabbed his collar and use it to stand up again. She nodded and stretched her hand into the distance, summoning a trident. Nyx whistled and opened his mouth in wonder. “What’s that?”

“The Trident of the Oracle. It belonged to the ancestors of the Fleuret family, a weapon bestowed by the Draconian.” Then she smiled: “But now, it’s going to be our torch in warding off daemons.”

“Awesome, that’s my Oracle. Your ancestors would be proud of you!” Nyx commented and smirked, helping her walking. They arrived to a puddle, shining of silver and white under the light of the trident.

“This is the place.” Luna whispered, stepping away from Nyx and slowly entering in the small lake. Nyx reluctantly let her go.

“Be careful.” She nodded but then stopped and turned around to watch him in the eyes.

“Nyx, you have the ring, right?”

Nyx pulled out the necklace and showed it to the princess.

“Good. Please, whatever it may come now, don’t interfere. And if something bad happens to me–”

“Not going to happen!” 

“No, you must allow it. I’m ready to take whatever it will be, and so should you.”

“Why are you even talking like that? Is speaking with a God that dangerous? They should be the protectors of the world, not cause more pain!” Nyx objected, opening his arms in a gesture of frustration.

Luna didn’t have an answer to that so she repeated herself again, “Whatever comes to pass, don’t interfere. If a stranger interrupts the ritual, the God may decide to not give his blessing to Noctis and we can’t have that.” 

She didn’t wait for an answer this time and slowly slide into the water, which was cold and transparent. The trident began to glow even more, reaching the shining level of a sun. The white and soft material of Luna’s dress floated in the water like the tail of a siren, which would have been an appropriate description of her in that specific moment, since she was indeed intriguing like a siren, beautiful, yet powerful. And like a mythological maiden of the water, she started to sing. 

Nyx stood in the distance ready to enter in action, but even from there he could hear the beautiful harmony which that song inspired. Maybe it was a prayer or maybe it was the inverse result of a lullaby, he couldn’t tell. It was probably an enchantment. Still, he would have listened to her voice forever. Forgetting all the anxiety he just had talking with her, he couldn’t do anything else now, but close his eyes and relax. He let the song overwhelm him with its emotional melody. Luna’s voice became soon all he could think about, the most beautiful voice he would have ever been allowed to hear. 

Then, something happened. Nyx was a hundred percent positive that the night sky was clear yet suddenly bolts stroke out of nowhere and the frightening sound of thunderstorms filled the air with its terrible noise. This confused him and also made him rush towards Lunafreya, because something weird was happening in the spot she was standing: small lighting poles surrounded her, and even if it didn’t look like she was suffering, the sight of her illuminated by them was preoccupying. 

Yet, in the moment Nyx started to run, he realized he couldn’t ever reach her because the bolts were systematically forming a barrier between him and her. He punched the shining wall and roared:

“Princess!” That unexpected situation turned out to be even more frustrating than his lack of magic. Luna was basically alone in the front of an unpredictable God now and he couldn’t have help her in case of need, rendering him to feel useless. “Lunafreya!”

Luna wasn’t listening. She kept singing her melody, raising the trident towards the source of the lighting bolts. It started to rain hard, so much that it was hard to breathe. Dark clouds gathered in the night sky and finally a huge human figure appeared. It had the appearance of a old man with a long white beard and the wise witty eyes. His robe was long and made of bolts and he carried a scepter in his hand. From all Luna could tell, Ramuh looked pissed in the beginning but as she continued to sing, he relaxed a bit, too. He took her in his giant hand to look her closer and then started to speak in an incomprehensible language. Luna sang her answer back and since Ramuh fell under the spell of Luna’s voice, the alliance was sealed very fast. The Oracle’s song was his most sensible weakness from yore. Luna learn that from her mother, so she could use that information now, without any fear to being rejected. While she held herself to the huge fingers which surrounded her, she already felt the cost of that alliance, the consuming burden that would have left her exhausted in the end. She inhaled a deep breath, grasping for air like she was trying to survive in spite of every odd. She closed her eyes, feeling the pouring rain covering every inch of her skin, leaving her soaking wet. She felt cold. It was so cold now. 

 

Ramuh said something else and then gently put her down in the puddle, like he was dealing with an injured little bird. He downed the barrier which prevent Nyx from running in her help and the Glaive immediately took advantage of it and stomped in the small lake, refusing to let his water-soaked trousers weigh him down. “Princess!”

Ramuh looked at him and nodded, understanding that leaving the precious Oracle in his care was for the best. As Nyx took Luna in his arms, Ramuh moved away, slowly disappearing in the clouds. Yet, the storm didn’t stop and it wouldn’t have for days, as sign of his quick blessing for Noctis.

“Princess?”

Luna had fainted already, she couldn’t hear Nyx’s voice anymore. She was still holding the trident in her hand but her arms fell limp on the water, her beautiful song had ceased and so did her white magic. 

Around them, suddenly there was calm, interrupted only by the regular noise of the pouring rain. Nyx was breathing heavily, agitated by Luna’s unexpected fainting spell. He hold her with one strong arm, while with the other he searched for every little sign of life on her face. He caressed her forehead and her cheek with urgency and then rested his thumb on her pale lips. Pale, too pale. “Please, Princess, tell me you’re still alive.” 

His expression showed a deep anguish, which sucked away every hope in two only seconds. He felt so stupid for letting her go alone in that mess, and even though he mentally knew he wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway, he just felt guilty. 

He got even closer, resting his forehead on hers, almost hoping to sacrifice his breath to give it to her.

A selfless wish like that wasn’t necessary. Lunafreya gaspedbefore fainting again, her chest rose and fell with a vengeance. It was a horrible sight, but at least meant she was still alive. Nyx sighed in relief and caressed her lips more gently, to brush away the dirt. While he was moving away a lock of hair from her cheek, he swallowed hard, frowning. Looking at her now didn’t seem alike the day before. She was just as beautiful, that’s for sure, but now she almost died for the chance to speak to a divinity and since Nyx couldn’t figure how could this even happen, he didn’t feel calm at all. On the contrary, he felt so scared, realizing he didn’t want to lose her. Yet, that he risked. 

“Lunafreya…” Her name escaped from his lips in that moment of tension and Luna responded to it not waking up but grabbing the Ring of the Lucii on his necklace, like it was a lifebelt. Nyx nodded and pulled her closer. “Okay… Okay, Princess, hold on tight, I’ll take you somewhere warm and dry. You’ll be fine.” He lifted her up, putting upon himself all her weight. She wasn’t that heavy actually. “You are all flesh and bone, girl, remind me to feed you more carbs.” He murmured, knowing of not being heard. He looked around, feeling the rain slipping underneath his clothes, and closed his eyes.

The Glaive lifted his face to the sky, enjoying for a brief moment the sound of the storm in the distance. The adrenaline started to fading only now that the princess was breathing in his arms, but that didn’t help him to feel better. He wouldn’t have until he knew what was going on in reality. “Yeah, but I guess I’ll have to wait for that, right?” He asked, turning his face to watch her. Her expression was softer now, like she was simply sleeping after another long day.

Nyx smiled, but his smile was sad.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luna and Nyx didn’t fell in the Empire’s trap, Nyx didn’t had to use the ring and he survived. What would have happened if Nyx really had the chance to ‘see Luna safe to Altissia’, like he promised to Regis? Here the part 6: A ‘small inconvenience’ happens to Luna right after Ramuh’s awake and before heading to Altissia, she decides to go back home, in Tenebrae.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting hot down here ;) Who can blame Luna too? And after that, all I have to add is: Dino is us, we are Dino. #DinoIsLife #ILoveDino 
> 
> For this chapter I have to credit @loveiscosmicsin a lot! Like, honestly. My characters wouldn’t be that funny without you, Kwai.

The sheets were cool on her skin, but the rest of her body was pure fire. She felt fire in her veins, fire in her bones, fire in her head, it clouded her mind. Luna arched her back so she could reach every inch of his body and feel it on hers. He moaned in pleasure and to reward her for her initiative he used one big hand to cup her cheek and kissed her deeper, mouth open, his beard brushing on her face. Luna was overwhelmed by him, she couldn’t even breathe but didn’t complain. Her mind was empty, only consumed by the desire beyond her control.

She didn’t know how she got there. She didn’t worry for what would happen next.

She opened her palm and he automatically reached for it, entwined his fingers in hers, holding her tight. He didn’t want to let her go. He didn’t interrupt the kiss, only a moment to catch his breath and then continue. He smelled like wood and rain and that reminded her of something. Something that happened recently, yet she couldn’t remember. She actually couldn’t remember anything, not even who was the man who was making her feel so alive. She tried to opened her eyes but she couldn’t. Luna freed her hand, putting her arm around his neck, where she found nothing but his bare skin and a little chain. Her fingers followed the length of the necklace, reaching the pendant: the Ring of the Lucii. She grasped for air, surprised. But the man thought that was a good moment to move his mouth from her lips to her throat, peppering it with kisses. He also bit her clavicle, not hurting her but setting her even more on fire. She touched his face, trying to recognize him in shroud of the darkness over the two of them.

“Nyx?” she moaned and there was surprise in her voice.

What was happening? Why were they…? Her stomach wriggled but for some reason she didn’t even try to rebel. She let him touch her waist, her neck, her arms. Then he suddenly lowered his hand to grab her knee and put it around his hips: Luna boggled, opening her mouth and her eyes. The fire inside her bursted and the emotion got so strong she… woke up.

 

Luna found herself in a soft bed, covered in white sheets. Her dress was still a bit wet and dirty, and same went for her hair, which also smelled bad. Yet, she wasn’t cold, on the contrary, she was covered by so many blankets she had her face on fire. Maybe she also had caught a fever. But was it really because of the blankets? 

She was still breathing heavily and that was totally because of that dream. A dream. For Astrals’ sake, what kind of dream did she just have?

She touched her cheeks and then rested a hand on her heart: it was beating so fast it was embarrassing. She stared at a random corner of the room blankly as she tried to remember what happened the day before. She remembered the Moldacchi hills and she remembered Ramuh. After that, she fainted because she couldn’t remember anything but her dreams. But what if… those were not only dreams? She looked under the sheets, controlling if she still had her entire dress on and yes, she still wore it. But that dream felt so real…

She looked around, still nervous: where was Nyx? She swallowed hard, shivering at the idea of looking at his face again now.

She got off the bed and realized she was in a motel, probably one not very far from the place where she woke up Ramuh. She looked out of the window. It was afternoon. 

In that moment, the noise of the opening door made her turn around and holding her breath. It had to be Nyx and as a matter of fact he appeared with a plastic bag in his hand, chewing gum, and looked surprised. “Princess! You’re finally up!”

He frowned and quickly stepped ahead, studying her face searching for a sign of something. But as he got closer, Luna got further, looking at him like he was a monster. He stopped. “Are you… okay?” he asked, noticing her face burning red. 

“I’m fine,” she answered quickly, closing her fists and stepping back again.

Nyx looked confused. “Well, you slept for almost 20 hours this time and your eyes are wet like you had a nightmare. You’re obviously not fine.”

“I said I’m fine!” she raised her voice more than usual, which convinced Nyx even more she was not fine at all. 

“Okay, okay!” he raised his hands in a sign of surrender. “I brought some food, in case you’re hungry.”

“What happened?” Luna’s voice was still too nervous to be gentle.

“What do you mean what happened? You don’t remember anything?”

Luna felt her heart falling in his stomach like a 200 kg burden. 

“W-what should I remember…?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“You woke up the Ramuh and he decided to give his blessing to the prince. You made quite the show with a stunning solo-performance, too. After that, you went out like a light.”

“That I remember. What happened after?” 

Nyx shrugged, looking puzzled.“I took you here and you didn’t wake up for a while. What else should have happened?”

The reply to that question was less obvious than he could imagine, but Luna felt relieved. It seemed like the dream was just a dream afterall. Yet she didn’t understand how could it happen and that embarrassed her a lot. She literally couldn’t look at him in the eyes anymore.

“My clothes are wet, so I probably caught a cold.” 

Nyx didn’t understand her tone of accusation and asked, genuinely confused,  
“You wanted me take your clothes off…?”

“No!” She screamed her mortification.

“Then why are you so upset? What did I do wrong?”

She opened her mouth to answer but seeing him all puzzled, arms open and the questioning expression made her hesitate and blush even more. “I– Well, it doesn’t matter!” She said, turning away and heading to the bathroom. “I’m going to have a bath now because I’m filthy so would you be so kind and leave me alone? Thank you and have a nice day.”

Nyx raised his eyebrows in a very funny grimace like he couldn’t believe his ears. “What the …?” he laughed, incredulous. “Okay, you clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I’ll disappear then.” And he left. 

Luna ran into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, trying to ignore her racing heart. She covered her face with the hands, cursing herself for her lack of manners. 

“What was I thinking…?” she whispered to herself. Considering the circumstances, that dream right happened at the worst moment. She watched herself at the mirror and quickly took her dress off: the veins on her stomach were glowing in black, but not in a constant way. Sometimes they got red, then black again, then totally disappeared under her skin. 

She swallowed. 

She knew that this would be happen, and yet seeing her body changing like that hurt her more than she could imagine. She felt deprived of her humanity, her sense of normalcy. She felt like … she didn’t deserved to be loved anymore now, not even by herself. Her body wasn’t even hers anymore, but just a device to be disposed of when she’s done wasting away.

Luna closed her eyes and swallowed her pride: “To save the world… To save the world.” 

Maybe repeating it like a mantra would have convinced her in the end. Saying it proved to have little effect on her state of mind. Such foolishness.

 

Luna cleaned herself with a meticulous care, trying to wash away the anguishing sensation of deterioration from her skin. She used half of the bottle of soap and scrubbed her arms and stomach like she never did before. She really tried to forget the pain which tormented her deeply in the soul, closing her eyes and sinking a bit in the tub. But when she did that, the image of Nyx passionately kissing her popped up in her mind and she almost drowned, much to her embarrassment.

She realized there was no safe place in her mind. Luna worried for not being able to save the world and for the shameless dream she casually had about her charming bodyguard. Her thoughts where such a mess. 

Actually, the dream particularly confused her. Where did it come from? Of course there were a lot of things she appreciated in her bodyguard’s persona, for example his funny yet protective personality, his witty eyes, his courage, his strength and also, the way he took care of her without forcing her doing something against her will. But that dream clearly showed she unconsciously was attracted by his physical appearance too, in a way she never had been with nobody. And that was something new for her, unexpected, embarrassing and somehow… Wrong. Totally wrong for so many reasons.

And not only because she was promised to another man. She just knew she wouldn’t be available for anyone very soon in any case, not even to Noctis. And she didn’t even had to start talking about an immigrant Glaive with no house or title. 

For some mysterious reason she started caressing her body exactly where Nyx touched her in the dream, starting from the face, to the neck, to her hip, her leg… It left her wondering if he would actually do that, even if he knew what she was secretly losing her humanity. She stopped when she understood he probably wouldn’t have. He would be disgusted by it. And he also would get very mad for not telling him before. 

She felt bad for even indulging on that thought. Yet, the fire that burned under her skin during the dream made her feel so alive and so real, it was hard to renounce to the memory of it. Maybe that was faulty assumption because she was kind of already sentenced to death. She didn’t belong to herself anymore. Luna couldn’t decide on her own how to use that decaying body. She decided long ago to sacrifice every bit of it for the sake of the people and there was no turning back now. 

She started brushing her skin harder, and then frantically squirted shampoo on her scalp. To change the line of her thoughts, she tried to remember the fall of Insomnia, Ravus burning after using the ring, Regis murdered in front of her very eyes. 

King Regis… He sacrificed his own humanity for the world too, which somehow gave her comfort. Noctis would have done the same pretty soon. Death marked the life of them all so deeply they couldn’t even think to enjoy life in the meantime. It was a luxury they couldn’t afford. 

She thought about what she had to do next: waking up Leviathan and forging an Alliance with her. Since the hostility of the Goddess of the Sea was well-known, the ritual would have required more energy than usual. The ritual could very well be Luna’s last.

She realized how short her time left was and even if she prepared her all life to be strong in such a critical time, she couldn’t think about anything else but home. She still wasn’t ready for Altissia. She wanted to go back to Tenabrae, even for few days.

 

 

Nyx sat at the edge of a sidewalk, drinking from his plastic cup and reading the newspaper. In the first page there was the mysterious disappearance of the Archaean from the Disc of Cauthess and all the facetious lies the Empire invented to justify it and bury the event down. In fact, he knew what was the truth: Prince Noctis infiltrated in the Disc and successfully obtained the Titan’s blessing thanks to Lunafreya. He was surprised in seeing that Ravus Nox Fleuret was interviewed for the occasion.

“So, he isn’t dead …” He mumbled to himself, remembering the moment when he used the ring and almost got killed by it. There was also a photo of him, which was interesting: it looked like the Empire wanted to make a big show about the influence of their “High Commander”, maybe to convince everybody that if a Fleuret supported them, so should have everybody. 

Nyx shook his head, disappointed. “Your sister doesn’t look like you, not even a bit.” He turned the paper, to watch the photo closer. “Well, fine, you may have the same facial features but you really don’t look alike either, you know what I mean?”

“Why are you talking with the newspaper …?” 

Nyx boggled and turn around to see the Princess standing in front of him, her arms crossed, her face uneasy. He swallowed, noticing her mood didn’t got any better.

“Yeah, well, no… Yes. It looks like your brother is still alive.” Nyx expected to give her a big news, but Luna simply bit her lip.

“I already knew that.” That was surprising. 

“Really? How?”

“Gentiana told me.”

“Oh. That lady that goes around with her eyes closed and speaks in cryptic riddles.”

“A divine messanger and also a goddess” Luna sharply corrected him.

“Yeah, that.” He gave her the newspaper. “Did you read about the Empire’s opinion about what happened to the Archaean, too?”

Luna took the paper, being very careful not touching his hand. She just couldn’t afford other dream’s flashbacks right now. She took a couple minutes to read the article and to weigh the truth beyond the evident lies. 

“So Noctis has arrived to the Disc of Cauthess …” She whispered, thinking about sending him a message via Umbra. She should have tried to summon the dog later, when she was alone. When she raised her eyes, she caught Nyx staring at her and caused her emotions to flutter beyond measure. “What?” she asked, annoyed.

“You left you hair down.” That was the stupidest answer Luna could ever get. She just didn’t braid her hair because after the shower, it was still wet. 

“So why is that worth noticing?”

Nyx wasn’t intimidated by her bad mood and just admitted, “You look better like this.”

Luna literally slammed the newspaper on his chest, as much violently as she could, causing him to flinch in silence. She walked ahead, looking outraged like he just insulted her and started tying her hair up.

 

 

Luna made clear that she wanted to leave as soon as possible. Finally realizing that he shouldn’t have even try to contradict her, Nyx packed the few things they had and prepared for leaving. He sighed deeply looking at what time it was: evening already, which meant they would have to camp somewhere soon. 

It didn’t make any sense to set off now, but here he was on the wheel, turning the car on. 

“So, where are we headed?” 

Lunafreya decided to sit in the backseat to keep the distance. “Galdin Quay.” 

“Galdin Quay? Really? Why? You want to get a tan and relax on the beach?”

Luna didn’t answer and Nyx raised his eyebrows and sighed again. “Oh, right. I can see you’re not in the mood for talking today. Guess I missed that cue.”

“Just take me there.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

 

Nyx pulled over after two hours of driving, stopping by a dark forest.

“What’s going on?” Luna complained. 

“It’s dark, Princess, and I don’t think the road is safe anymore. I’ll take you to the closest camp site and we will wait for the morning light to come.”

“We are just some miles away from our destination!” Nyx turned towards her, resting the arm on the seat.

“I refuse to drive at night. And I refuse to allow you to behave like you suddenly can’t think rational. So please, my dear princess, now shut up and do what I say. Get out of the car.”

Luna opened her mouth to reply something but she couldn’t so she quickly get out and follow him. “You can’t talk to me like this!”

“I just did,” Nyx replied, taking out of the trunk a lot of useful stuff for camping. “Carry this.” He gave her a small baggage ignoring her scandalized expression, while he decided to carry the rest. He closed the car and headed to the closest blue light which signed the existence of a camp site.

Lunafreya was so shocked by his determination she couldn’t reply anymore and just followed him until they arrived at the camp. She hesitated. The haven was a small hill carved in stone, large enough to host a modest group of people, rocks were engraved with runes. As she recognized the symbols, she ceased further complaints immediately, instead a wave of melachony overwhelmed her.

Those safe havens were protected by white magic, gifted by the Oracle itself, but Luna wasn’t the one to credit for such a benevolent deed.

“Mother…” she whispered, turning slowly around on her feet, reading the runes like it was a private message Sylva Nox Fleuret left to her years ago. Luna’s heart ached aknowledging that her mother’s power was still coursing in those safe havens even after such a long time had passed.

“Mh? You said something?” Nyx asked, starting to prepare things for the night. Luna shook her head and said no more. She sat on a chair and observed her Glaive as as he pitched the tent and assembled the grill.

However, when Nyx finally started to prepare dinner, the dream came up to her mind again, making her forgetting about her mother and turning red. In the end, she was forced to move the chair away so she hadn’t to watch him anymore. If she wouldn’t have learned to deal with the embarrassment that the dream brought to her, she would have soon start to beg the Gods to kill her off sooner than expected. As a matter of fact, to scroll of the thought of it, she had to focus on the dark forest around, noticing just now what a beautiful night it was, warm and with the scent of sea in the air: they were clearing getting closer to the south beach. 

“Sorry for interrupting your meditation but dinner is ready, Your Highness.” Nyx said after a couple of minutes, placing a dish on a small table made in wood. Luna turned around and looked at what he prepared.

“Is that…?”

“An hamburger. Yeah. Since you never tasted one, I thought you would like to try it.” He also put a bottle of water on the table and some cookies. “Here, these ought to sweeten your mood.”

Luna’s heart ached hearing those words, realizing how much concern she was putting on him only because of her inexplicable behavior. Yet, she didn’t apologize. 

Nyx sat on the other chair, clearing his hands with a tissue. He carefully studied her reaction when she tasted the hamburger, trying to understand if she liked it or not. Luna had some troubles at first (her good manners forbidden her to touch the food with her bare hands), but as she started to eat she realized how hungry she was.

“It’s… good,” she commented, raising her eyes to watch him smile. The Princess Oracle stopped chewing for a second, impressed by the beauty of him. For Astrals’ sake, how did she never notice how much attractive he was? “Thank you.”

His braids slide back as he tilted his head and scrolled his large shoulders.  
“You’re welcome.”

Luna looked down, burning red. Certainly he did notice, but didn’t ask.   
They ate in silence, listening to the sound of the night and smelling the fire, until Umbra came, hamming to receive Luna’s attention. 

“Umbra.” The princess stood up and approached him, taking the diary from his collar and quickly opening it at the right page.

– I received the blessing. Thank you, Luna – 

Luna sighed in relief, smiling. Having news from Noctis in times like these was an oasis in a desolate desert. 

Nyx leaned on, resting the elbows on his knees and looking at her to read her reactions. “What did he say?” he asked, curious to see what made her so happy after a whole day of bad mood.

“Noctis received the Archaean’s blessing.”

“Good. As we read between the lines of the newspaper.”

Luna nodded. “Yes. Our efforts were not in vain.”

At first, Nyx felt a little cramp at the stomach in seeing that the prince was able to steal such a blissful smile from her with only a written phrase, but in the end, seeing her in a good mood again was more important that his slightly wounded pride.

“You’re doing a good job, Princess. I told you that before.”

“You’re doing too–!” she raised her face and found him closer than she expected, which made her almost die for an heart attack. She jumped on her feet and walked into the tent, Umbra following her from a very close distance.

“Wait!” Nyx screamed, standing up and opening his arms in frustration. “Wait, Princess, what …?” 

Stupidly enough, Luna stopped as he asked. There was absolutely no reason to not ignore him and yet, there she was, petrified at the tent’s entrance. Nyx really needed explanations now so he took advantage of the brief moment he had and asked: “Did Ramuh did something to you? Or is it because something i did? Why are you acting like that?”

“It’s nothing, you were just too close.”

“Too close?” he asked, squeezing his eyes in surprise. 

“Yes. The proximity is totally improper for us.” Now Nyx was really shocked. 

“In Insomnia I saved you multiple times making shield with my own body on yours, you healed me twice putting you forehead on mine, we slept in the same room, I carried you in my arms when you fainted and took you to the motel, and now you came out with the idea that our proximity is improper? You didn’t complain last time I checked.”

“What… No!” Luna opened her mouth to reply but now that he listed it, she had to admit they really had been so close so many times that her excuse could be considered a proper nonsense. “That was … before!”

Nyx stepped ahead, again with his arms open, to show that for him the proximity really wasn’t a problem. “Before what?”

Luna putted a hand on his chest to keep him distant, but that only got him closer. “Before the dream!” Her voice started to sound louder.

“You mean you’re being hostile over a dream?”

Luna swallowed hard without looking him in the eyes, brimming with tears. “Sir Nyx, please, don’t…”

“Oh,cut it with this Sir Nyx crap and ‘keep the distance’ order! What kind of dream could turn you against me, after all we’ve been through?”

“What if I don’t want to tell you?”

“What if you start being honest with me, Princess? Would that be too much to ask?”

“What if it was a dirty dream about you and I really found it too embarrassing to admit?” Luna screamed in the end, blushing even more, feeling her heart beating so loud she was scared he would hear it.

Nyx froze on place, squeezed his eyes and opened his mouth in shock. “O-oh” he stuttered after 30 seconds of pure silence, interrupted only by the delicate sound of Umbra whimpering. The dog looked like the only one really at ease with the whole situation. “I see. Well, that… would explain a lot.” 

Luna wanted to cry and dig her own grave, but she didn’t realize she actually started to do it. Her eyelashes were wet with tears and a cool breeze hit her burning face.

Seeing that made Nyx feel even worse. “I think I… should sleep on the chair.” He didn’t expect anything similar and simply didn’t know how to react in such a situation. He cursed himself for pushing her to confess, he was such a jerk, as always. 

That legitimately was the most embarrassing situation he ever deal with.   
Luna hid the face in her hands and turned away, entering in the tent with only Umbra, and there she stayed the whole night.

 

They both didn’t sleep a lot, because there was so many things to think of. They were dealing with new feelings that shouldn’t have been there in the first place, and yet they were, even if they didn’t know until that very moment. The consistency of those feelings was weird as well: they were exciting and pleasant, but also scaring and terribly inappropriate, full of hopes and totally hopeless. They both tried to ignore them and when they couldn’t, they just suffocated them under layers of sense of duty and responsibilities.

Luna woke up in the tent, realizing that Umbra slept alongside with her, maybe understanding that she couldn’t be left alone now. The Oracle found relief only when she hugged him, pulling him closer. His fur and his warm body gave her the comfort she needed, making her realize that in the end, no matter what that dream was about, it didn’t matter. Her destiny was settled, her goal was clear. 

She quickly took the diary and wrote few sentences back to Noctis.   
She probably cried during her sleep, but now she felt better and her mind was clearer. 

“Here, take the message to Noctis. And please, send Pryna to Tenaebrae. I need her there,” she whispered, caressing the dog’s fur. Umbra hammed and ran out of the tent, disappearing pretty fast into the forest. Luna stood up and arranged her hair so she would look presentable. She then took a deep breath and stepped out of the tent. 

Of course, Nyx was there. He was making some push-ups but immediately stopped when he noticed her. The dark circles under his eyes showed he didn’t sleep right and the sweat on his forehead proved that he was exercising for hours already. 

They looked each other in the eyes for a long time before the Glaive slyly muttered, “… 'Morning.”

Luna nodded, but there was a strength in her eyes it wasn’t there the day before. She got closer to the small fridge they brought with them and chose a little bottle of milk and some cookies as breakfast. Nyx stood still for all the process, watching her as he caught his breath, trying to understand her mood.

“Princess…” He started, feeling uncomfortable because of that weird silence.

“I don’t want to talk about yesterday.” Luna calmly gestured at him, keeping her focus on breakfast.

Nyx nodded and tried to act normal, start preparing for departure. He disassembled the tent and the grill, packing things in the car. Thanks to haven, the operation took a lot of energy out of him so he could avoid to mess his thoughts around more than he already had. 

When he finished, he realized that he smelled gross and that he really needed to have a shower and change his clothes. “I–” He pointed to something in the distance. “I have to clean myself, so I should…” 

“Just go, Nyx,” she answered, trying to look as much detached as possible. “I won’t peek.”

Nyx noticed her coldness and was somehow annoyed by it. All that was unfair since he wasn’t the one having dirty dreams about her. Why should he have been the one to look embarrassed now?

If she could act detached, he could act sarcastic: “I just wanted to warn you since you couldn’t put a lid on those hot and heavy dreams of yours.” He said, flexed his back and shoulders.

The cup almost fell from Luna’s hands as she turned around to glance at him with outraged eyes. But Nyx was kind of satisfied by her reaction and simply walked away, smiling and raising his eyebrows.

 

 

They arrived at Galdin Quay for lunch, keeping the distance from one another, a one-sided effort on the Princess Oracle’s part. Nyx parked the car near the gas station, under a canopy and after he filled the tank, he looked at the princess getting out of the car and walking away.

“What now?” he asked, but he got no answer. He sighed, hating that day already. 

Lunafreya stepped ahead under the burning sun of this place. It was the first time she got there but it was exactly like she read in the tourist books: blue sea, white sand, palms coming out of the water, mountain hills in the distance, the wooden path which connected the beach to the restaurant. It was beautiful and relaxing and she stared at it for one minute before to move on. She knew exactly what she was looking for, but she didn’t know where to find it. 

She went for the restaurant and Nyx didn’t have other choice but follow her.   
They walked under the burning sun until a waiter approached them with a cheerful: “Welcome to Galdin Quay!” 

Luna looked at him surprised by the merry atmosphere, confused by the noises of the laughters and the clients asking for drinks. Somehow, she couldn’t accept that place was such a golden oasis of peace when Crown City was destroyed just the week before.

They went onward until they reached the counter. There it was a young man, clearly trying to flirt with the nice cook with very little success. He was saying something like: “Let me love you like the 'bellissima donna’ you really are” but his accent was so weird and his style so exaggerated, that Luna found it embarrassing.

Nyx snorted into a laugh, shaking his head in sign of pity: “If I flirted with you like that in your dream, you’re right to be upset with me.” He commented in a whisper, getting close enough so only Luna could hear that.

“You did not …!” she replied in an hurry, her cheeks on fire, eyes widening.

She stopped halfway in her sentence but Nyx seemed genuinely curios and waited for her to continue: “Yes, tell me more, Princess. What exactly did we do in your 'dirty dream’?”

“…Shut up.” She tried to regain her composure but it was hard with him so close.

“I can’t really imagine what Miss Purity Of Mind And Soul can define as 'dirty’. Was there at least a kiss?” 

“Stop now.”

“Okay, so it was at least a kiss. But why are you so testy? Was it that bad?”

“Nyx, I said I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s concentrate on things that are really important.”

Nyx raised an eyebrow and murmured: “Not bad at all, right?” Nyx should have thank Shiva, Titan, Ramuh and all the other deities of Eos because Lunafreya didn’t hear him, since she was already approaching the cook, giving her a break from those terrible flirting attempts. 

“Excuse me, can I bother you for a moment?”

The woman really looked relieved and gladly listened to Luna.

“Of course! My name is Coctura, how can I help you?” 

“I’m looking for a ship to sail. Do you know to who should I talk to buy tickets?” 

“It’s not your lucky break. Since the fall of Insomnia, the travel routes have been blocked and ships won’t be sailing any time soon.”

“What if I want to go home?” 

Nyx was listening from the distance, but hearing the princess talking like that, he got closer.

“Home where?”

“I need a ride to Tenebrae.”

All of a sudden, the strange philanderer blustered in a laugh, capturing everyone’s attention.“What is the former Princess of Tenebrae looking back home when she’s supposed to meet her groom-to-be in Altissia?” he asked in a mocking tone, leaning on the counter.

“Yeah, I would like to know that, too,” Nyx said, crossing his arms in surprise. Then he realized that the weird man recognized her and suddenly boggled. “Hey! You…!”

The man introduced himself with an irreverent bow. “Name’s Dino and I’m a reporter. The lady’s too famous for not being recognized by the masses. Funny how I spotted you just like that.”

Coctura looked at Lunafreya and placed her hands on her mouth. “Lady Lunafreya!”

Luna quickly invited her to lower her voice and then nodded. “Yes, it’s me. Can you please try to not draw too much attention to us?”

Coctura was so excited she could barely whisper. “Of course, your Highness. I won’t tell a soul.”

Dino didn’t seem to have the same opinion. “I guess this is the part where you ‘fess up your intentions then. Planning on leaving Prince Noctis at the altar?”

“Why do you care?” Nyx asked, quickly defensive on the princess. Luna instinctively putted a hand on his arm, not to shut him up but at least to let him know she still had the situation under control. Nyx immediately regained his coolness. 

Dino raised his hands in the air. “Hey, relax, buddy! I know quite a few things and I can’t stop this burning curiosity of mine, you see. On that note, who are you? Let me guess. Little braids, tattoos on the face, muscled body – it looks like the Princess Oracle has picked herself up a bodyguard from Galahd. But that place almost got wiped off the map, didn’t it?”

Nyx grinned and there was nothing friendly behind it, intolerance might be the better phrase. He didn’t like that guy already and looked at Luna to understand how she wanted him to behave in that situation.

Luna shook her head. “Let him be. I trust he won’t tell the Empire about us.”

Dino didn’t miss her presumptuous glance but he didn’t miss other details either. “No, I don’t have any interest in revealing your whereabouts to the Empire. Whoever liked them anyway? But you see, in these difficult times I’m not concentrating my efforts only on journalism, and maybe that’s why I’m giving youse guys a break.”

Luna and Nyx were confused by the line of talk, not understanding what Dino was trying to say, so they both frowned and waited for him to continue. He was watching at them like a dealer examining fine pieces of art. “So, what happened between you two?” he asked in the end, joining his hands on the counter and suddenly trying to look very professional.

Luna and Nyx opened their eyes in shock and expressed their disbelief simultaneously: “What?” 

Dino chuckled and pointed at them with one finger. “Exactly what I said. I have a special eye for precious gemstones and… not just literally but metaphorically, too. And you guys, wow. What a rare beauty. What a polish.”

“Oh, for Stars’ sake…” Luna murmured, squeezing her eyes and then wide opening them. 

Nyx took the princess’s arm and tried to lead her away. “We’re wasting our time here, Princess. We better go.”

“You’re too easy! C'mon, guys, not even the struck blind and dumb can’t ignore the tension between you, I’m just calling it like I see it. But if you’re willing to tell me more, I can find you a way to Tenebrae.” This made both Luna and Nyx froze on mid-step for a lot of reasons. Dino raised his eyebrows and opened his arms. “I may be your only chance, actually.”

“You said you’re a reporter…” Luna said, narrowing her eyes.

“And a gemstones collector. And a ritzy jeweler. I also like big boats.”

“How is a jeweler supposed to find us passage to Tenebrae?”

“I told you. There are a lot of gems of different cuts and sizes. I have my ways.” Dino patted on the chair next to him. “So, Your Highness and her brawny bodyguard, have a seat and let’s chat.”

Luna and Nyx shared a worried look, they didn’t have a lot of choice. Luna sat on the chair first and Nyx couldn’t leave her alone.

Dino seemed pretty excited from the result he obtained. He took out a recorder and placed it on the table. Coctura clapped her hands and excitedly announced: “I’ll bring some refreshments.”

“Let’s start from the beginning. Did you meet in Insomnia? During the attack? And what got you to stay together?” Dino asked.

“Is that what you want? An interview? I already submitted a statement to Vyv, another journalist.”

Dino waved his hand like he wanted to chase away the thought of it. “Yeah, I heard that one. But Vyv is very different, he just wants good articles and good photos, everything very accurate and professional. I prefer gossip. The juicier, the better.”

“Then we are very sorry to disappoint you. We have nothing to say for lucative tabloids and we care that you do not publish such.”

“Publish? Who said I want to publish anything? I’m recording for my own pleasure. Mamma mia ragazzi, you didn’t listen to a word I said before, right? I’m a gemstones collector. I collect things and only occasionally sell them for the public. Real honest work here. Prince Noctis will bring me real gems to make my jewelry business soar but you… You will give me something different. Something much worth my time.”

“Prince Noctis?” Luna asked, surprised. “You met him? He was here?”

“Yeah, he was here and he’ll be back soon. Do you want to wait for him here? You could leave for Altissia together.” While Dino asked the question, Nyx was curious about the answer in the same way. He actually wondered multiple times why the princess didn’t want to look for the prince, instead of going on her own separate journey to wake up the Six. 

“No, we were promised to meet in Altissia.”

“Yet you’re going to Tenebrae,” Dino insinuated. “Runnaway bride, much?”

“Only for a short while. I want to see my home again, once more before… everything will happen in Altissia. I may not get another chance.”

Dino frowned and looked at Nyx, in a very sad way. “Your last piece of journey alone.”

“Excuse me?” Nyx growled.

“You know what, guys? The Princess and the Guardian has always been one of my favorite tropes. I mean, I’m sorry for Prince Noctis but now that I see you in person I–”

“Listen, can you really guarantee us a ride to Tenebrae or not?” Nyx was really starting to get annoyed and his face showed it entirely.

Dino sighed and made a grimace, taking out from his jacket a cell phone and showing it to them. “I only have to make one call” he answered, pushing the green button and actually making that 'one call’.

After that, he explained them that a ship would have come from Tenebrae the next day, transporting goods and stuff. Since all the trades were closed by the Empire, that ship may or not may be legal but at least that would have permit them to go to Tenebrae unnoticed. 

“You want us to sail on a pirate ship?” Luna asked, stunned.

“Oh no. You want to go to Tenebrae and I said that the only way is through a pirate ship. So now that I assured you a safe travel to your homeland, can we continue the interview or not?”

But Luna smiled in a mischievous yet detached way, something that nobody would have ever think she was actually capable of doing. “Well… No.”

Dino shrugged. “I’ll have to report your presence to the Empire then.”

“Of course, I invite you to try. But as you know, my brother has been proclaimed High Commander recently, I’m certain he will help us out somehow. Instead I wonder who will release you out of prison if I confess your involvement in illegal trades with pirates and almost placed me, the Oracle of Eos, in great peril.”

Dino froze and almost didn’t notice when Coctura came back with the cocktails.

“Here, Lady Lunafreya, hope you’ll like it!” 

Luna and Dino were still watching themselves in the eyes, one strong and satisfied, the other shocked.

After a moment, Dino took a glass and raised it, looking at Nyx and bursting into laughter: “Good luck with this smart-mouthed royalty, buddy. You’re gonna need it.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luna and Nyx didn’t fell in the Empire’s trap, Nyx didn’t had to use the ring and he survived. What would have happened if Nyx really had the chance to ‘see Luna safe to Altissia’, like he promised to Regis? Here part 7: Galdin Quay. Magic atmosphere. Dancing. Dino shipping Lunyx in the background. What do you expect to happen? ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to thank again my beta reader @loveiscosmicsin, because it gets always more complicated with this fic and your help is essential! <3 … and this time. OMG. THE ART. Look at the art this time (available on tumblr). @ramibriidge for the drawing and @viianki (yeah, we pulled you in all this too!) for the coloring ;)
> 
> What an amazing staff I have beyond the curtains <3 I feel blessed.

Somehow, Dino monopolized their attention for the rest of the day. He offered to pay for their drinks and Coctura cooked dishes from the freshest caught seafood they could ever eat. From the water and straight to the frying pan as the chef put it simply. In spite of first impressions, Dino was quite an enjoyable company – if you were ready to ignore his sad flirting attempts with basically every living girl around him. He traveled a lot in his life so he could entertained them with spicy anecdotes about almost everything. For his own sake, he didn’t dare to comment the delicate relationship between the Oracle and the Glaive anymore, but he kept observing every move of them, every eye contact and every slightly touch. That was a bit weird but both Luna and Nyx learned to deal with it pretty fast. Only when the evening came, Dino offered another drink to Lunafreya and left her with Coctura while he casually took Nyx’s arm and whispered: “Can I talk with you for a second?” Nyx was creeped by what the question could possibly imply but didn’t have other choice than please him.  
“What’s the matter?” he asked as they reached the pier.  
Dino smirked and took a key out of his pocket, placing it into the Glaive’s hand. Then he sneered, “You’re gonna thank me one day.”  
“If this is what I think it is, I –”  
“You’ll gonna owe me big one day, I know.”  
“This is getting embarrassing. Me and the Princess, not what you’re thinking and I would neve–”  
“Oh, sure, like you can fool me. Anyway, how you use it is up to you. Haven’t you two ever shared a room?”  
“Yeah, we did but–”  
“So what’s the problem? Look, you have to sleep somewhere, right? Don’t overthink too much, it doesn’t help you.”  
Nyx sighed but in the end accepted the key. “Why are you doing it?”  
Dino shrugged. “I could write another article about the way I recognize gems among tons of useless stones but… maybe the truth is that I just understand when a man needs help with a girl.”  
Nyx bit his down lip and admitted, “That is not a simple girl I can pick up and then let go. That is the Princess. That is the Oracle of Eos.”  
Dino seemed deeply puzzled by the insinuation: “Well, beyond that, isn’t she just a girl, anyway?”  
Nyx smiled, putting the key in his pocket. “You are not as stupid as you look.”

 

Later that night, the music was played to entertain the clients and Galdin Quay got even more magical. The soft lights painted in red, orange and yellow the water of ocean, the air smelled like sea and cocktails, the gentle breeze caressed the skin of them all. Luna was so carried away by the atmosphere that she almost forgot her problems. Coctura was constantly excited of being in her company and spoiled her in every possible way, so hunger was the least concern on Luna’s mind tonight.  
Nyx decided to stay a bit in the distance instead, watching over her as always, but in the most discreet way. He just knew that she preferred like that right now because of the ‘dream’ and of course he was right. Luna was kind of relieved in not having him around, constantly remembering the sensual moments they shared in the dream. Yet, she looked in his direction every time she could, just to be sure he was still there, never abandoning her. And when she got the confirmation of that, her heart warmed up more than it should have.  
After two hours of watching the local band playing music, Lunafreya sighed. Coctura was fun, but all she discussed was about food or recipes while Dino was flirting with a blond girl on the bridge and he didn’t seemed to have any interest in conversing with someone else. In the end, Luna got bored and had to go back to Nyx.  
“Maybe I should retire for the night.”  
“Really? It’s still early and the night life here is amazing” Nyx said, revealing how much he was enjoying the music and the atmosphere. “You should stay a bit more.”  
"I have nothing to do.”  
“You could dance.”  
“And with who? You?”  
Nyx raised his eyebrows and sighed, going back to look to the distance. "Wouldn’t that be nice…”  
Luna’s first attempt of making a joke ended in a huge failure, because nobody there was laughing at all. On the contrary, it looked like she just putted salt on a open wound.  
“Nyx, I cannot hold my tongue on this any longer. I’m truly sorry about that dream” she started, whispering in a neutral tone, “I don’t know how it happened and I couldn’t control it at the time. I’m also sorry for telling you and for every discourteous act that came right after. Maybe we should both forget about all this and go back to our usual professional relationship.”  
Nyx swallowed and smiled, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. "Sure. At least until the next time we can have a conversation without you being snappy with me or red in the face to tell me what’s going on.”  
Luna rolled her eyes. "Yes, this is exactly what I wanted to apologize about.”  
"It’s okay. If we go back to our professional relationship, may I have this dance?”  
Luna froze and faltered. "Ah, I…”  
Nyx tried again: "Very professional dancing, I mean. I’ll just take it as the olive branch. You know, peace.”  
The princess closed her eyes and hid the lips beyond her hand. She knew exactly what she wanted to do, but she also knew what was her duty to do and the two things didn’t coincide.  
“Just one quick dance…” she said in the end, hoping that her heart and her mind would have accept such a compromise.  
For Nyx it was enough: he tendered his hand, waiting for her to take it. She did it with a certain reluctance and regretted it immediately after, understanding where this would have lead in the moment she noticed Dino glancing at them with a victorious smile, raising his glass in the air.  
Nyx didn’t ever had a lot of dancing experience, but the battles of the past forged his body for every kind of movement, so he didn’t take a lot before settling for the dance. He rested a hand on Luna’s waist without looking shy, on the contrary, he searched for Luna’s eyes to sense if that wasn’t too much for her to bear.  
Her cheeks were already burning hot, but she didn’t try to escape. She just positioned herself for the dance as the etiquette required and started on. The music was a soft jazz, which didn’t give them the opportunity to really keep the distance.  
"Like I said before, Princess, it’s just a dance between two professional people. You can relax. And more, nobody except Dino and Coctura recognized us, so you can just enjoy the moment without fearing of ruining your reputation with a miserable Glaive like me.”  
Luna took a deep breath and realized he was right. She was just too tense, so she relaxed her muscles and got closer to him, resting in the end her cheek on his shoulder. "A miserable Glaive…” she smiled. An unexpected feeling of protection and tranquillity invested her, making her closing her eyes. “You’re far from that.”  
When a minute has passed and Nyx was sure she wouldn’t have freak out, he tightened his arms around her, smelling the sweet perfume of her hair mixed with the one of the salted sea. He was never been so close to her and the new experience lit up senses he didn’t even know he had. Suddenly, he felt everything at once. Like supernatural powers triggered by her closeness, his taste, sight, hearing, touch, smell were amplified, and at the same time he also experimented the electrical and magnetic vibes she radiated, enjoying them like a breath of fresh air.  
"Yeah? What do you think I am?” he asked, knowing that yes, he was such a miserable Glaive. For wanting a woman that was not his to have. “Just tell me if I’m getting warmer or colder.”  
Luna placed her arms around him and shook her head. She started to think and think, and the line of her thoughts got darker as the time passed. "Nyx,” she whispered when the song was almost over. She stood on the tips of her toes, reaching his cheek and slightly kissing him right were his small tattoo was. The Glaive almost felt his heart explode in pure joy but totally froze when he heard she saying: “Once we arrive in Tenebrae, I’ll be safe. I won’t need a bodyguard anymore. We should go separate paths. I’m sorry.”  
And then, she abandoned his arms and ran away.

 

Nyx was so shocked he couldn’t move until Dino came, clearly worried by the scene he just watched.  
“Whoa, buddy, what the hell happened? Not even the girls I flirt with run away like that! How did you screw up such a perfect opportunity?”  
Nyx wasn’t even able to answer. He was just trying to realize the real sense of what Luna just told him, but actually there was no sense at all. He just couldn’t believe at what he heard. Being safe in Tenebrae? No needing a bodyguard anymore? Getting separate? Three sentences hurt him like a stone squashing on his heart, destroying his expectations, mortifying his pride. Nyx mentally knew she never needed him, but in fact, all he hoped was to prove himself worthy of protecting her and cherish her even if he was just a mere immigrant Glaive, with no title and no magic to make him special.  
"Hey big guy, are you listening to me? The suite is already paid for the night, you better solve your problem because I’m not getting that refund back.”  
Nyx stared blankly at the man before him, thinking about the details he didn’t notice before: the princess’s sad eyes as he watched him, the soft kiss on the cheek which felt like a goodbye.  
“Hello! Could you please act like a man and run after her?” Dino screamed in the end, cupping the hands on his mouth like he was using a amplifier. Nyx caught a deep breath and finally straightened up. “Good boy! Now go! Go!”  
And Nyx did so. He turned on his heels and followed the Princess down the bridge, until his feet met the white sand. The full moon was ready to illuminate his path, like it was giving him a sort of blessing.

 

Luna took her sandals off, walking fast in the sea to scroll away the tension and the sadness. The water was warm also at that time of the night, sparkling under the shining moon and the air was so restoring she already felt better. That until she heard him calling her name. “Princess!” She turned around, feeling tears wetting her eyes.  
“Go away!” and quickened her pace.  
Nyx took really a short while to reach for her, entering in the water like he didn’t care of getting his boots soaking wet. “The hell I will!” He was pretty upset, she could tell only by the sound of his voice. When she saw his face though, Luna realized he was deeply mortified, too. “Have you lost your mind? What crazy idea did you come up with this time? Going on with the journey alone?”  
She hadn’t the courage to talk to his face so she turned around a bit and looked down. “Nyx, you just can’t be my bodyguard forever, it’s too…”  
“Embarrassing? Inappropriate? Dangerous?”  
"Complicated.”  
Nyx opened his mouth, closed it again, squeezed the eyes and pointed at the restaurant at his back. “So that’s the professionalism you were talking about just a couple of minutes ago? Wow, the coherence!”  
“I’m just trying to do what’s best for both of us and for the rest of the world as well!” Her voice raised in the air a bit more, in a tone of frustrated sadness which was not usual to her.  
“I don’t care about me and I don’t care about the world either, because I made a promise tomy king to see you safe to Altissia and that I will, even if I’ll have to follow you around against your will.”  
“Well, technically, your king isn’t Regis anymore so speaking about duties to the Crown, I’m certain Noctis would be enchanted to know how far you are ready to go just to ‘protect’ me!”  
Nyx wide opened his eyes, in a very comical expression: “Excuse me? Are you trying to blame me for doing my job?” He got closer, leaning down on her to see her face in the darkness but she tried to step back, giving up when she noticed she couldn’t hide anymore.  
She raised her hand and closed her eyes. “That’s not what I wanted to–!”  
"YOU’RE the one having dirty dreams about ME and now I’M the one going too far!”  
“Yes, having that dream was my fault but you certainly didn’t help me, with all your teasing and at the same time, being… kind!” She was so desperate she was getting ridiculous, causing Nyx to be even more confused.  
“Are you saying I was wrong being nice to you?”  
“No!”  
“Then I don’t get the point you’re driving at.”  
“My point is that I can’t control myself when you are around and this not only scares me but it’s wrong!” she blurted out in the end. “The more I want to be professional, the more I end up closer to you and this can’t lead to anything good. I can’t have it, Nyx. I just can’t. For so many reasons I can’t even start to explain!”  
Nyx waited for her to finish the sentence with the mouth open in surprise, then he slowly shook his head and lowered his voice, even if he was still strongly upset when he answered:  
“Listen, Princess. We don’t know each other for long, but I dare to say I understood a lot about you, more than you think. And you know what impression you made to me?” He looked her straight in the eyes, with a burning resolution, “You’re a frustrated woman.” Luna tried to reply but he cut her down with a light move of the hand. “Don’t even try to deny it! You’re a frustrated woman. You sold your body and soul to an important cause, and even though this is admirable, you now discover that beyond the façade of the ‘holy Oracle who will save the world with her merciful deeds’ you are just a normal girl which is scared by Kenny Crow and likes to listen to all kind of music on the radio! You love life, even if you’re ready to sacrifice it to appear like the most flawless being of all time and you inspire people. I’m not surprised that with all the people in the world you’re attracted by me - a common immigrant who joined the Kingsglaive as a sign of gratitude for the person who helped him - because for the first time in forever, with me you can do what you really want and not what other people tell you to do. With me you can be yourself and not what other people expect you to be!”  
He marked every word with a tenacious gesture and looked at her, talking with his heart in his sleeve. He was so brutally honest, so perfectly sincere, Luna couldn’t help but feel touched. Nobody ever talked to her like that.  
"Nyx, I–“  
"I’ve not finished, because I want you to know that I know you hide things from me, which probably means I don’t have the whole picture of the situation. But one thing is clear, Princess:you-should-live-your-own-life!” At that point of the preach, he was warming up a bit too much, and almost screamed: “Why do you think you don’t deserve it? After being hostage of Niflheim for years, after being used as a bait in Insomnia’s fall, after being idolized by people, after all the fights you fought in secret, after being the only inspiration of Eos; why do you still think you don’t deserve to be selfish sometimes and do what the hell you want?” He took out of his shirt the necklace with the Ring of Lucis hung on it and showed it to her. “I accepted to take this for you only because I wanted to give you a break, for the Astrals’ sake! You should give the same opportunity to yourself, too!”  
After all that yelling, Luna was almost crying, swallowing down every word she wanted to say because it wouldn’t have make justice to the purity of heart Nyx let blow out in that very moment.  
For a minute, there was only silence, interrupted by the low crashing of the waves of the ocean.  
Then, Nyx sighed and turned around, moving away.  
Luna didn’t expected it and screamed in a broken voice, “W-where are you going now?”  
“Where do you think? I’m going to sit on the sand, and watch over you, business as usual!” he answered, opening his arms, still very upset. “I told you I will never let you go!”  
And so he did. He got out of the water, sat on the beach, trying to recuperate his composure. He took awhile, since he didn’t get so mad since he argued with Selena years before. Exactly like his little sister, Luna was stubborn and spoiled, but she was also more layered and complicated which made Nyx’s job of standing by her side very difficult.  
He took a deep and frustrated breath and finally felt better. Looking at the distant figure of the Princess in the water also helped in the end, because if he could ignore the argument they just had, he should have admitted that it was the perfect picture, pure art. Everything of her was perfect: the way she looked at the moon in the distance with a thoughtful expression, the shape of her slender body, the way she let her hair down on her shoulders and turned in his direction.  
Nyx swallowed hard.  
All the imperfections he - and probably only he - noticed made her so real and so perfect, and such a perfection only hurt him more in the end, knowing she was not something that would have ever been under his reach. Yet, she slowly came out of the water, beautiful under the moonlight like the goddess she used to represent.  
Nyx watched her without saying a word, he totally fell under her spell. “Can I sit by you?” she asked after awhile. She was calm now, and even a bit sad. Nyx couldn’t tell if he nodded in response or what, but Luna sat down next to him anyway. Her breath was regular, barely audible because of the waves of the sea and so was his.  
“About what you just said…” Luna started, “Every single word was a knife in the stomach but… I fear you are right. Yes. I think I really fear it.”  
Nyx couldn’t say a word, her profile was just so ethereal to watch, he was captured by her words and couldn’t react. “My duty is my destiny, Nyx. I held on to this my whole life and I just… can’t imagine myself without it. Not only this, but people are depending on me. Helping Noctis and supporting him during in his ascension means giving hope to the whole world and I can’t falter especially now. Knowing all this forged my existence. You’re telling me to live my own life and do whatever I want but… I just can’t. I never actually could.”  
Nyx turned around on the sand, casually touching her side with his knee. “But it’s not right. You know that, don’t you?” he asked, lowering his voice to let her know his concern. “You deserve to be happy.”  
She looked at him, allowing herself to admire details she never really observed, like the form of his little tattoos, the scars underneath the beard, the braids in his hair, the changing color of his eyes under the moonlight. Suddenly, all those details were so dear to her, because they were part of him.  
“Happiness comes in different forms and perhaps mine is in fulfilling my destiny.”  
“This is ridiculous…” he murmured, leaning a bit. They were so close now, she could almost hear his heart beating. He had fire in his eyes when he added: “I think you’re smart enough to know what makes you happy.”  
Luna felt her heart sunk, her arms going limp, and whole body go weak. Nobody ever gave her so much credit, so much space, or so much freedom.  
Surprising herself, she reached for his hand, entwining her fingers in his, looking for warmth. She didn’t care if his skin was rough or if his grip was too strong. She just wanted him again closer and closer, exactly like in the dream which tormented her for two days already. And his body was there in front of her, ready to surrender. If she only would have let him…  
“Are you saying all this just because you want to take advantage of me?” she asked instead.  
Nyx didn’t even get mad for the insinuation this time, he was just too enchanted by the rare occasions she was cheeky towards him. “No” he answered, very seriously. “If I wanted to take advantage of you, I wouldn’t have get angry when you asked me to leave you without protection, nor I wouldn’t have accepted to see you to Altissia where you’re gonna marry another man.” He raised a hand, caressing her cheek with a surreal gentleness. “…And maybe I wouldn’t have invited you to dance with me and gone off with the brunette who watched me the whole evening.”  
That surprised her. “There was a woman watching you?”  
Nyx smiled and with that smile he didn’t caressed her cheek: he caressed her heart.  
“Remember what King Regis said to you before he died? He wanted you to live happily. And as long as there’s life in me, I will work to make his last wish to come true. Even though it’s not gonna be with me, even though this would damage me, I want you to live happily, Princess. If this doesn’t prove I’m not trying to take advantage of you, I don’t–”  
“It’s enough to me.” Luna swallowed, clutching the grip on his shirt: “I’m sorry, I was asking because my whole life men looked at me like that, they used me, they forced me into–”  
“It’s okay.” Nyx shushed her, moving the thumb on her lips, while his whole hand was still cupping her cheek. “I didn’t ask for your reasons.” And then he stared at her lips, letting the desire grow stronger. She noticed.  
“This is not good. In the end, I will be the one taking advantage of you.”  
“Fine with it …” He sighed, too distracted to pay any heed to the warning.  
"Let’s enjoy the moment?”  
“Let’s enjoy the moment” he agreed.  
Luna closed her eyes and opened her mouth, feeling him putting an arm around her waist to pull her closer. They had to move on the sand until they found the right position, but this didn’t stopped them. She touched his biceps, tracing a line to his neck, holding on to it like it was an anchor in the ocean of her bursting feelings. She longed for the kiss she thought would come, but immediately realized when he backed up from it. She opened her eyes and looked at his yearning look, wandering what made him to hesitate now.  
“Ask me,” he begged. “I won’t do anything if you don’t ask me.”  
Luna’s eyes got wet. “Nyx…” She tightened the grip around his neck and got so close until their lips touched. His breath was smelling like the cocktail Coctura served them before.  
“I just want it to be your choice, Princess.”  
“It is. Kiss me.”  
She didn’t have to repeat it twice. He immediately rushed his nose against her cheek, kissing her opened lips, lingering on it to feel the flavor and the warmth. It tasted like liberation, like they both finally broke down the dam holding back their bursting feelings. Being that her first kiss, Luna didn’t even know how to handle things, so she let him take control, focusing on what she was receiving instead and enjoying every single instant of it. Nyx couldn’t ask for better. Even though he never allowed himself to indulge on that thought, he instinctively knew how to set his Princess on fire. He bit her down lip, and then the upper one and then he kissed her deeply, stealing her breath. Luna had to shrink back a moment to catch some air but he immediately pulled her closer again, forcing the princess to gasp in his mouth. She didn’t dare to escape ever again.  
Nyx putted his fingers through her hair, guiding her moves. Then his hands slipped down on her neck, on her breast, until they reached her hips, where they stopped.  
He gently pushed her down on the beach and after watching her for a second - her golden hair loose on the sand, the innocent expression confused by her first effusion of affection and yet, the big blue eyes eager for him - he leaned down on her and kissed her lips again, this time with more tenderness, knowing she deserved it. The most beautiful flower of all Eos was in his hands and he needed to take care of it.  
Luna putted a hand on his chest, exploring his shape, experimenting new sensations, looking for his natural warmth and then stopped when she heard his heart beating. She immediately understood that would always been her favorite sound from now on.  
They didn’t stop for a long while, not even caring if someone saw them or if the temperature was getting lower.  
They took all the time they need to learn to know each other’s lips, each other’s movements and breathing. Luna didn’t feel like rushing. If kissing a man for the first time meant feeling what she was feeling right now, she wanted to learn and understand every detail of it and she wasn’t ready to halt. Not now, at least. She let him take the lead and followed his instructions. It felt better than she expected.  
In the end, it was Nyx the one who decided to stop, when he started to feel the urge to explore her body and give in to basic instincts. It took all the restraint he could muster to pull away.  
“Princess,” he whispered, kissing her cheek and then her ear. She shivered deeply and hold on his back, instinctively sinking her nails in his shirt. He smiled and didn’t complain, because even that hurt was pleasure if it came from her. “It’s better if I stop now.”  
She sighed and opened her eyes to look straight at him. She found a sweet note on his face, like he was completely satisfied by how that conversation ended and not just that. Like he was proud of her. “… W-why?”  
He raised himself up on one elbow, and looked for something in his pocket. Doing so, he had to distance him a bit and Luna already missed having him on her.  
In the end, Nyx took out the key Dino previously gave him and put it under the moonlight.  
Luna wide opened her eyes and started to stutter: “Nyx, w-wait, I–”  
Nyx bit his lip and then started laughing.  
“You should’ve seen the look on your face!” he said, his beautiful large smile shining only for her. “Relax. It’s not what you think it is. Or better, it is, but I’m not even gonna enter in the room where you will sleep tonight, otherwise I would totally ‘take advantage of you’. I know, big contradiction to what I said a couple minutes ago.”  
Luna sighed in relief but at the same time she rested her hands on his chest. She didn’t want to let him go. “And where will you sleep?”  
“I’ll pay for another room. Or in the car.”  
“I’m so sorry.”  
“Don’t be.”  
Luna caressed his face, feeling his beard brushing against her fingertips. They were looking in the eyes like it was the last time and Luna couldn’t help but ask: “Just… another kiss before I go?”  
That was a request he would have always accepted. Fearing that it was their last moment of intimacy and that next day Luna would have regretted letting her walls down, Nyx kissed her again passionately and it was his deep devotion that she felt safe between his arms unlike any she never was anywhere else.  
Whatever it would have come next, it wouldn’t have change what they felt that night. It was wrong, it was useless, it was not fair, yet, it was theirs and only theirs. And they enjoyed every second of it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx and Luna shared their first kiss and it looks like they both are ‘enjoying the moment’ a lot but as they set off for Tenebrae they have to come back to reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the romance until you can, because the angst is gonna start soon. Thanks as always to @loveiscosmicsin for being my beta reader

Sleeping in the backseat of the car didn’t bother him one bit this time. Actually, he even left the windows open, so he could smell the sea breeze and recall every moment of that incredible night. He found himself falling asleep and waking up with a smile.

After years of remorse and pain, Nyx never felt so happy as the day after he kissed Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. The sensation of inner joy and pleasure didn’t leave him alone, making him probably like a little kid having the time of his life.  
As he stretched his legs outside the car windows, he licked his own lips. Remembering the way the princess kissed them, like he - and nobody else - was all she ever needed. 

He wished Libertus was here, so he would making him jealous by telling him all the details.

‘I kissed the most beautiful girl in the world,’ he would have said to his friend and Libertus wouldn’t have ever believed him, coming out with something like: ‘Whaaat?! Did she throw up afterwards?’ or a 'Did you think her kiss would turn a toad like you into a prince?’ His childhood friend did say outlandish things to get a good laugh at Nyx’s expense.

And yes, of course it was hard to believe. Because why should the divine and elegant Oracle of Eos kiss a mere Glaive? Yet… That’s what she did. 

What would have happened now, that was hard to tell but Nyx didn’t want to think about it. He knew that Luna had duty to fulfill and that she was to marry another man. He knew in the deep of his heart that the moment of intimacy they shared was probably a 'one time thing’. But he didn’t want to think about it. That was a stupid way to handle things, and yet it was his way. 

“You know how much Gil I paid for that suite?” 

Dino was standing outside the car, arms crossed, visibly annoyed by finding the Glaive sleeping in the car. Nyx simply rolled his shoulders back and then crossed his hands under the neck. “The princess is using it. You did the world a service. You should feel honored, buddy.”

“That was supposed to be for both of you.” 

“I like it better this way. It’s more romantic.”

“Oh, so you’re the romantic type. If I knew, I would’ve kept the money for myself.” 

Nyx moved to the backseat and finally decided to step out of the car. He was such in a good mood he smiled to Dino’s audacity, too. 

“Why are you up at this time?” he asked, starting to stretch up and to do some push ups. “Shouldn’t you be going after some stones?”

“I was speaking with the sailors–”

“Ah, the pirates.” Nyx ceased working out and rose to his feet.

“Yeah. They are going to sail at noon. They got their own way to trick the Empire’s tracking system but you really, really shouldn’t call them pirates, okay? For your own safety. Can’t stress it enough.”

“Do they know the cargo?”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Try not to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. Making business with them it’s excellent, but I think it’s better if they don’t know about our Majesty…”

Nyx narrowed the eyes, getting suspicious.  
“What kind of mess did you throw us into?” he asked, hands on his hips.

“Calm down, you’ll be all right so long as they don’t know who the Princess is. Besides, she has got you, right? Why would she need a bodyguard if you don’t… well, guard her body?” 

“Her body will be just fine, thanks.” he said raising a hand, trying not to even go there with the conversation.

“Oh, yes, I don’t even doubt it.”

\-------

Having Coctura preparing for him one of the most amazing breakfast ever (and for free. too) was one of the advantages of being the Oracle’s bodyguard. Nyx sat at the counter and had a Ebony, but the true magic came with a sweet cake with cream and some strawberries inside. 

“A secret recipe.” Coctura explained, smiling proudly and then going away.

As Nyx tasted it, he could tell that was something beyond normal. Literally, it was too good to be real and he was never a cake person to begin with.

“It’s Tenebraen. The strawberries used in the cake are raised only in the royal gardens and that’s why the cooks hired for the Crown are the only ones with knowledge of the recipe.”

A delicate voice coming from behind surprised Nyx with his mouth full. He turned around and his heart started to beat faster, already knowing who was the one talking.  
As a matter of fact, the princess was there, the hands joined in front of her, a shy expression on her face. Nyx found her so beautiful that morning that he took more than a minute to finally swallow the bite. “Coctura must be a supreme chef for knowing how to prepare it.” She then stepped ahead, sitting in the chair next to him on the counter. “Good morning.”

Nyx was suddenly so excited to see her, he was at a loss for words. He just stood there admiring every detail of her, like the gracious profile, the line of her neck, the tenderness of her skin which reminded him when he touched it the night before. He just wasn’t able to handle the power of the memories and started to stutter. “M-morning …” he finally managed to say. 

Luna didn’t look at him in the eyes because considering the rose-colored cheeks, she was certainly dealing with the same memories Nyx had. She took the menu and chose something from it. Only after that, Nyx had the courage to reach for the back of her hand and delicately caress it. Luna boggled, but in the end she turned her palm up, accepting the caress and giving it back. Their skin were both so cold, yet when they touched, that simple gesture was able to ignite a spark in their abdomens.

All of a sudden, Coctura came with what Luna ordered, so both of them quickly hid their hands under the table and looked away from each other. Thank the Stars that Coctura didn’t notice anything.

“You two are going to leave at noon, right? I’ll pack something for you, so you won’t have to worry about going hungry.”

Alone again in the center of the restaurant, Luna and Nyx sighed simultaneously and then shared a glance.

“How are you?” Nyx said, his voice finally regaining dignity.

“I’m fine, thank you. Where did you sleep?” 

“In the car. Rooms were too expensive.”

“I’m so sorry.” 

“Don’t be.” The way she looked so shy made him smile: she didn’t seem at all the sensual girl the night before, glued to his body and asking him to kiss her on the sand.

“I’m gonna prepare the car for departure. When the ship arrives we’ll have to put it in the—”

“Yes, of course, I will be ready too.”

Nyx noticed some hesitation in her voice but since she didn’t say anything to stop him, he stood up, determined to go away as promised. That turned out to be more difficult than expected. He slowly stepped back without taking his eyes off her and only when he noticed how ridiculous he may looked, he woke up from his trance and finally turned away, far from her.

\-------

The ship arrived sooner than expected and men quickly started doing their business. Dino introduced Nyx and Luna to the captain, an eccentric old man with a huge nose and the skin ruined by the sun. He took them under his wing in a hastily, probably fearing of being noticed and compromising the whole operation. Even though he seemed to be one of the worst kind of delinquents, Nyx and Luna didn’t have other choice than to follow him.

They bade Coctura farewell with high regards, but decided to stay in touch with Dino, knowing how much a resourceful man like him would have been helpful in case of need.

“If Noctis comes back here in Galdin Quay, please don’t tell him about us.” Luna whispered to Dino before boarding the ship.

The man didn’t looked surprised when he answered, “Of course. Best for him to not know where his runaway bride is going.”

“No, it’s not like that, i just don’t want him to follow me in Tenebrae and–” But her words were totally useless. Dino already had his specific view about the whole situation and nothing could have ever make him think otherwise. Besides, Luna started to think he was not entirely wrong.

\---------

The ship was big enough to transport cars and massive steel boxes with various merchandise inside, but didn’t have any room to welcome people, so Luna and Nyx decided to use their own car as apartment and sleep there. The forced closeness made them particularly nervous since they still didn’t find the courage to face what happened the night before.

The atmosphere on the ship wasn’t romantic enough to push them to deal with their feelings right now. On the contrary, the deck smelled bad, the sailors were rude and dirty and the constant swaying of the ship almost made Luna throw up.  
In fact, when the sun started to set, Luna was feeling so bad she begged Nyx to took her on the deck so she could have some fresh air. Nyx helped her until they reached the fore of the ship, where she clinched to the railing and took deep breaths. After a while, she felt better.

“Thank the Stars, we have only one day of sailing,” Nyx commented, not knowing what to do. “The motion of the waves doesn’t have the same effect on me. Maybe it’s because I’m used to flying airships. Basically the same thing…”

“I’ll be fine. I just need to stay here for a little longer.” Nyx nodded and waited some steps away, ready to help but distant enough to not pressure her. Luna looked in horror at her hands, seeing black veins appearing and disappearing immediately after. 'Not now’ she thought, hiding the hand away so Nyx couldn’t see it. “Just … Leave me alone for awhile now. I’m coming down in five minutes.”

“I’m not gonna leave you alone here. What if you faint? It happened before and the ship’s full of disgusting thugs ready to take advantage of you. Please don’t ask me that.”

That plea made Luna smile for some reason. She couldn’t deny she secretly liked this protective instinct of his but in this very moment she really couldn’t have nobody next to her. She didn’t want him to know her secret, not yet. She was about to say something but suddenly she felt another cramp to her lower stomach and moaned in pain, holding to the railing. Nyx was at her side, delicately massaging her back. 

They stand there for a long minute and during that time Luna tried to hide all the bare skin the dress didn’t cover. When the worse had passed, she sighed deeply and looked at his worried expression. She smiled because even if he never listened to her, it was good having him on her side. She felt safe, as it always happened next to him.

“Thank you,” Luna whispered, making the Glaive’s heart ache because even in pain, under the rose color of the sunset and on that dirty ship, she still had the most gracious and gentle smile he ever saw.

“You’re welcome,” he said, helping her standing up again. “Better now?”  
Luna took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“Yes.”

“You’re more delicate than you wish to show.”

“You worry too much.”

“Of course I do.”

She opened her eyes, so she could notice the sincerity on his face.  
Exactly like the day before, to acknowledge how deep he was falling into her only made her feeling worse. “Nyx, I’m going to stay here for awhile. You can go and take a break from your guard duty.”

“I’m staying.” Predicable.

“You shouldn’t. What are we supposed to do here alone, talking about what happened yesterday? I thought we both preferred not to.” She was hoping that - by saying this - she would send him away, but he actually decided to get closer.

“No, we don’t… really need to talk. We could do a lot of other things.” He reached with both hands for the railing, trapping Luna between his arms, but not touching her. “Wanna see?” He smiled, trying to tempt her in every possible way.  
If Luna knew how to curse, she would totally have. Taking advantage of her lowered defenses like that was really unfair. 

“Nyx, I didn’t mean… Well… this is not professional at all.”

He raised his eyebrows.“I thought we stopped being professional right yesterday.” 

“It’s true, yesterday I was not professional at all and this is why I –” she paused, staring at his lips. She couldn’t help it and Nyx caught on her gaze with a smug smile.

“You what?” He asked, leaning down so his nose almost touched hers.

“…Really, Nyx? On this malodorous ship?”

“We don’t have nothing else to do. Besides, I could help you to feel better, maybe?”

“That’s…” she whispered, but his lips were already on hers. “…Presumptuous.” 

“Sounds like a pretty word. Say it again.” 

“Presumptuous.”

Nyx would have laughed but he actually preferred to take advantage of her opening mouth to kiss her deeply and stealing her breath away. The marvelous flavor of it canceled the terrible smell of the ship and sent an enormous amount of butterflies upon their stomachs.

Immediately giving up to her attempts to resist Nyx, Luna reached for his neck, caressing his ears, his braids and lastly, his beard. Like the night before, she wasn’t able to think rationally once he was so close and just let her heart lead her actions wherever it wanted. Feeling a intimate need of touching him, she explored his chest and then his back. 

Nyx took her in his arms, pulling her closer and whispered in her ear: “See? It looks like you’re better now.” That comment costed him a little punch on the spine but he felt the Princess getting weaker and weaker under his touch and this only turned him on, pushing him to kiss her cheek and her chin, her throat, until he reached the necklace he once gave to her. She was still wearing it. He smiled and went back to her lips.

As he did that, a sudden movement of the ship divided them and forced them to stick to every handhold they found. Luna fell down but Nyx took her arm and quickly raised her up. A huge wave invested them and even if it wasn’t enough to carry them away, it left them both soaking wet and scared.

“W-what just happened?” 

In the distance, they heard the sailors screaming orders and insulting each other, but it didn’t look anything alarming.

“Are you alright?” Nyx asked, getting closer again. He took her shoulders and checked her out to see if she was somehow hurt by the fall.  
It was in that moment he saw Luna’s black veins underneath her wet white dress for the first time. He stared at them and narrowed eyes, initially not understanding what he was looking at exactly. The light of the sunset was maybe creating some shadows where they were not supposed to be, so he reached for her stomach and touched it delicately. “The water must have been dirty, your dress is–” Luna slapped his hand and turned away.

“What are you doing? Don’t look.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to…” He apologized. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to see if you’re hurt.” Luna covered her stomach with the arms, trying to hide her face from him. “Princess, you’re not hurt, right? What are those black spirals?” Now Nyx was really worried. 

Luna felt tears well in her eyes as she remembered the reason why she should have pushed him away. Why she shouldn’t have let him kiss her in the first place. And when that hit her, that was the very moment when she wanted to get attached to him more, knowing though that she couldn’t. 

“I’m fine. I’m going downstairs alone now. I’m gonna change my wet clothes so please don’t instigate further.”

When she moves away, he reached out for her and tried to block her but she didn’t even lifted her eyes to meet his. She shook off his hand from her shoulder and ran away. 

Nyx watched her go, biting his own tongue, the flavor of her on the lips. He didn’t know what to think exactly so he just let his mind get empty.  
He then moved his eyes to admire the sunset, beautiful and touching, and for the first time in forever he noticed how much the days were getting shorter.

\--------

Later that night, Nyx went in the darken cargo area, where their black car was parked. He rested a hand on the roof and peaked inside.

“Princess?” 

Lunafreya was there, wrapped in a blanket, crouched in the backseat. Hair still wet, she was sleeping already, but judging by the wrinkle on her forehead, bad dreams were tormenting her.

Nyx felt the urge of comforting her somehow, so he carefully entered in the car and sat next to her, delicately moving a lock of hair behind her ear. The affection he put in that simple gesture surprised him. He realized that watching over the Oracle of Eos wasn’t just a duty anymore, it slowly became a need he couldn’t neglect. 

“I’m screwed, am I?” he whispered, thanking the Astrals that nobody heard him. 

\-------

 

For the first time in forever, Luna woke up before Nyx and found him sleeping next to her. The proximity didn’t even faze her as it should have. In fact, waking up on his side elevated her mood significantly.

In any case, she didn’t wait for him to get up and left the cargo hold to go on the deck. Sailors ignored her almost completely as she peeked outside, beyond the railing. She could already see the distant shape of her homeland, and it comforted her beyond measure. Having the chance to see those familiar walls once more would have help her to find the courage to fulfill her duty to the very end. It brought closure.

Luna stood there for a long time, air blew through her hair and she inhaled the smell of the sea. Even if the view calmed her deeply, watching the sun rising in the horizon made her wonder how long would have lasted that peace if she just gave up now. The answer was simple: very shortly. 

She turned around and saw Nyx coming out from the cargo room, looking out for her. Their eyes met and they waved at each other, but mutually decided to keep the distance. Maybe they were both scared of letting the feelings overwhelm them again.  
The sun was getting real hot by the time they reached Tenebrae. 

The captain of the ship dismissed them pretty quick, like he didn’t even wanted to know who they actually were.

“Dino only asks me for favors when he has something big that he can’t handle,” he said, before letting them go, “and judging by the car and the beauty of that lass, mates, you’re more than 'big’. The crew been getting ideasabout what to do with you two, but I nipped that in the bud. Bettergive a compensation fee now if you don’t want me to follow through with some of those ideas.”

That was a nice way to rob them, Nyx thought. Even if the Glaive could have use kukris to teach them some manners, Luna’s glance was enough to make him understand he didn’t have other choice but giving up almost all the Gil they. They were in Tenebrae after all and the castle wasn’t far, so money wasn’t a primary necessity now.

They took the car out of the cargo room as quickly as they could, eager to leave that nasty ship of pirates behind. The journey on it had been a sufferance even for Nyx’s standards, which considering the conditions of his apartment in Insomnia, were at a very low bar already.

As the wheels of the car touched the Tenebraen sand and the road, both Luna and Nyx took a deep sigh of relief.

“Sorry for the bumpy ride. How’s your nausea?” the Glaive asked as he moved the car on the asphalt.

“I’m better, thank you. The most terrifying moments had already transpired, but I’m slowly get used to it.”

“A princess getting used to the pirate’s life… Somehow, I can see it.”

Luna smiled, looking at his profile, but after that her attention was finally absorbed by the details of the familiar landscape. The beach where they docked was hidden by a thick forest similar to a jungle, so green to look extremely alive. The way the trees entwined their boughs to each other created a beautiful roof of vegetation and the floor of white sand only made it more otherwordly. As Nyx and Luna continued the journey, the former Princess recognized the details that were so dear to her heart like the peculiar form of the mountains close to the sea, so high and so narrow they look like columns of rocks and trees touching the clouds. The light of the sun had a strange way to illuminate things in Tenebrae, it was able to transform even the most insignificant object in pure magic. Yes, that was the better word to describe that place: magical. 

No wonder the Princess was born here, Nyx thought, Whole place’s pulled straight from a fairy tale.

“Never expected to see all this in my life.” Nyx said, looking beyond the car’s windshield. Some unknown marine animals similar to deer were watching him from a corner of the street. “So, Princess, which way? I may not be used to Tenebraen protocol, but if you want to go back to the castle, I guess we’ll have to deal with Niffs guarding it.”

“The imperial army does not usually enter in the castle because they want to let people think they respect their Tenebraen culture and autonomy. Be that as it may, we could probably meet some patrols around the villages, so we should try to avoid them by taking another way around. Just go, I’ll tell you.”

Nyx smiled, glad to see her finally at ease in her homeland. He could tell she was already feeling better by the way she was taking the lead over him. He didn’t mind actually, not in that case at least.

They drove for a long while, crossing the forests so they wouldn’t have been noticed. Thank the Stars, Luna knew those woods from her childhood so they didn’t get lost in that perilous net of streets and roads. 

Finally, the castle was in sight, a breathtaking and huge construction on a cliff, painted in white, with the gothic architecture and a fairytale appearance. 

“That’s your palace?” Nyx whispered in wonder. 

“Yes.” Luna put a hand on the car window, nostalgic and starry-eyed at the view. “I’m home.”

\---------

Luna suggested leaving the car in an inconspicious parking space, she would send servants later to pick it up. They walked to the castle, approaching it by the main entrance, yet found it completely empty. That was beyond weird and for some reason, Nyx couldn’t move his hand away from the kukri at his hip.  
Luna walked up the white stairs to the entrance first, Nyx closely following her, ready to fight if it was the case.

The door was opened. The hall in front of them now had extremely high ceilings and harmonious paintings on the walls. Fresh flowers were positioned everywhere and perfume filled the air. 

“Is anybody there?” Luna asked.

Nyx shivered, wondering if it was necessary to call for someone so loudly.“We could just do whatever we came here to do and then leave, Princess. No need to draw attention to ourselves.” 

“But I came here to stay for awhile. I won’t rush.”

That surprised the Glaive. “You want to stop your journey?” 

Luna hesitated, but it was time to tell him.“No, I couldn’t renounce my duty, not even if I wanted to. But I could need some more time here. It’s where I grew up, where my family are buried. Perhaps here… I’ll find the strength I need to fulfill what needs to be done.” 

Nyx couldn’t help but being a bit disappointed by that confession. “Awesome,” he said, anyway. “Let’s have a ball here then. Maybe we should head to the kitchen first? I’m starving.”

Luna was already leading the way in the castle when a woman standing on the top of the stairs called for her.

“Lady Lunafreya?” 

Luna lifted her head, her sight fell upon an old woman. “Maria.” The two women met in the center of the hall, one gorgeous and delicate, the other frail and aged, and they shared a hug.

“When we heard about the Citadel, we had lost any hope of seeing you again. Having heard your voice and knowing you live–!”

“I’m so happy to see you, too.” Luna tried to show manners and elegance but she was clearly touched by the old lady’s devotion. “May I introduce yourself to the man who saved me countless times?” she added, turning around and presenting Nyx. “Nyx Ulric, this is Maria, my nanny. Maria, this is Nyx Ulric, a soldier under King Regis’ Kingsglaive and my personal bodyguard following the fall of Insomnia.”

The old lady looked very grateful in acknowledging that someone took care of the princess like she always did. “Blessed be, Sir Ulric. These are dangerous times. Darkness overwhelms our hearts quicker than it have the skies, but if you live, hope isn’t lost. Now, that this old woman can breathe a little easier, rest and tell me about the journey. Oh, before that, I must tell Lord Ravus!”

Lunafreya boggled, not expecting hearing that. “My brother is here?”

“Yes. He recovered from his injury time, didn’t he? He arrived at the castle yesterday, ready to organize troops to come and find you. He will be relieved knowing you’re already here!”

Hearing that, Nyx tensed up. His first instinct was to grab Luna’s arm and pull her closer, like he wanted to defend her from an invisible danger. Ad he did it, a voice sounded in the hall, like coming from behind them.

A cold, surprised, and strong call.

“Lunafreya.”

Luna and Nyx glanced towards another lateral entrance, where a man dressed in white was standing. 

Luna’s heart almost broke when he recognized him: “Ravus.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx and Luna arrived in Tenebrae, where they meet Ravus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the end of the fluff. Brace yourself for some angst now. It was about time I think ;)  
> Thanks as always to the amazing @loveiscosmicsin , the best beta reader I could ever have!

In the hall of the royal castle of Tenebrae a deafening silence thickened the air and nothing was audible if not the breath of Nyx, Maria, and the Fleuret siblings.

Even if Nyx protectively tried to conceal Luna behind his back, the princess stepped ahead, filling the distance between her and Ravus. 

“I somehow expected your return, Lunafreya,” the High Commander said with a wistful smile on his face.“The call of home was far too enticing to ignore.”  
“Though I sought comfort within these familiar walls, I did not stop pursuing my goal, brother. But this time, I’m the Empire’s captive no longer. I’ve regained my freedom after the fall of Insomnia, so please, don’t sever my automony. Don’t tell the Empire I’m here.”  
While the two siblings were sharing one of the most intense moment in their relationship, Nyx took a minute to observe the new High Commander of the Imperial army. He saw him briefly in the chaos of the takeover, but Ravus Nox Fleuret appeared to be a different person now. The Glaive could joke that he couldn’t recognize the noble without being surrounded by flames. Metal casing had been grafted upon the injured arm. He really was different. His hair were whiter, like he suddenly aged in that short amount of time, but at the same time his facial features rejuvenated, stronger but seemingly sickly. The Glaive also noticed something underneath the permanent crease of his eyebrows: his eyes were glowing in two different colors, one blue like his sister’s, the other purple, heterochromia. The controversy between good and evil got more remarkable in him when he didn’t answer at his sister’s plea.  
In fact, Ravus tightened his jaw and closed his eyes, struggling with an answer which couldn’t come out. He just stepped ahead, reaching out with the metallic arm and gently touched Luna’s shoulder. Even as he sensed that the elder sibling would do no harm, not jumping to intervene took Nyx’s willpower.  
Brother and sister look each other straight in the eyes, an unspoken conversation took place that only siblings could decipher. There was sadness and regret on their expressions, aversity but also affection and all these emotions disappeared at once when Ravus directed his attention to Nyx.  
“Why does he have the Ring?” he asked, his sneerheld no love for the outsider and his eyes held contempt for the man’s presence.  
Nyx boggled, wondering how he could have noticed it since the Ring was well hidden under the shirt. Could the man somehow sense the Ring’s power?  
Luna’s voice – mingled with determination and strength – moved to avert the crisis. “Don’t you dare, Ravus.”  
The Glaive didn’t dare to react and just stood firm, lifting up his chin to face the former Prince of Tenebrae, watching him hesitate and grinned at the commander’s frustration.   
Luna sensed his brother’s uncontrolled rage and her only concern was that Nyx wouldn’t be able to face him without his magic, so she decided to intervene on Nyx’s defense and simply took him away, hoping to have a better opportunity to speak with Ravus under calmer circumstances. She hoped that her brother wouldn’t have fight her in front of Maria and other servants but she couldn’t have the confirmation of it until she took Nyx’s arm and pulled him away. As they headed to her chambers, Luna kept glancing at Ravus, who tore his gaze away from the retreat.  
The High Commander sighed, furrowing his brow and looking numb. In the end, he couldn’t do anything else, but ordered to Maria to follow them and help them to settle down.

 

\----------------

 

“I have a bad feeling about that guy.” Nyx commented as they reached the corridors where they wouldn’t be heard by anyone. Luna didn’t stop walking, but she was clearly tormented with the sudden family reunion. “Do you trust him enough that he wouldn’t rat you out on your arrival?”  
“It depends.”  
“On what?”  
“It depends on what options are weighing on his mind to secure my well-being. This could cause problems in whether I’m permitted leave or we’re prisoners.”  
That sentence impressed Nyx for some reason. For the first the possibility that under the grudge of the High Commander could be found a caring brother worried about his little sister. Yet, since he didn’t knew the details of the situation, he couldn’t tell for sure, so he decided to keep mum and follow the princess around the castle for a tour.

\---------------

 

Nyx was impressed by the elegant and stunning architecture of the castle. He was used to the primitive style of Galahd. Between his homeland’s small but comfortable houses built in wood and stones, or to the majestic buildings of Insomnia, with its metropolitan and chaotic life, Tenebrae was a total different level of greatness.  
White was the prominent color, but the details were in pastel like blue, purple, green, pink and that made every piece of the landscape a pure piece of magical art. Talking about art, that could be found everywhere: the statues of deities at the corners of the corridors, the paintings on the wall, the mosaics on the floor. All that was assembled in the finest elegant way and the result was a fairy talesurrounding, weirdly coming from a fantasy book.  
Luna took Nyx to her room, she didn’t even know why. She just wanted him to know where it was.  
The smell of flowers gave precedence to the presence to dozens of bouquets in all corners. The light filtrated through the high windows, painting in blue and yellow, the shining floor.  
Nyx stepped in the room with a reverential respect, like he was entering in a holy temple but stopped to allow to Luna to wander in it first. The princess was clearly getting emotional in coming back to the chambers where she had so many fond memories, but at the same time she tried to hide it, maybe fearing to be judged for her sensibility. She was wrong, of course. Nyx would have never judge her for being nostalgic of her happy times, on the contrary. He was a big fan of her showing emotions and he proved it by asking:  
“Is it weird to come back here? After what happened?”  
Luna took a minute to explore the room, to check if everything was as she left it. She answered only when she delicately touched the curtains of the window and looked outside. “Yes, it is. In this room I spent the most beautiful part of my childhood with Noctis but at the same time… I was hardly able to leave at my leisure. I developed my sense for white magic here. I cultivated dreams and hopes here. And now, I come back after seeing Insomnia falling, King Regis dying and people suffering. This room makes me ponder on the past more than I should and helps me to remember what I left home for.”  
Nyx nodded and then started to walk around, hands behind his back, studying every detail with curiosity.He stopped in front of a mannequin with a beautiful white dress on it. Though he was used to see Lunafreya dressed in white, he could tell by the special attention reserved to it that that gown was different from all the others. “…Your wedding dress, huh?” he murmured, his voice imperceptibly breaking.  
Luna turned around and noticed what he was looking at. Her forehead frowned in sorrow, remembering her lost hopes and dreams. When she tried the dress months before, she knew she wouldn’t ever actually used it, not even for Noctis. Even so, being a bride was one of the things she always dreamt of being. That’s why she chose it so carefully. “Yes.”  
Nyx tightened his jaw and forced himself to not reply. The feelings he was feeling were disturbing and he didn’t like them. He didn’t know what Luna was thinking right now, but what he did know was that the former Princess of Tenebrae Lunafreya Nox Fleuret would have married the Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum of Lucis, because it was literally included in the armistice King Regis agreed to. Yes, he always knew that. But now that he got the chance to know that specific princess - now that she wasn’t just a promised symbol of the peace anymore - and stood by her side every moment in the last weeks. Now, mentioning the royal wedding felt different.  
Nyx didn’t like to admit he was jealous because that would have been pathetic and reductive. Jealousy was not the right definition for his feelings. It was something more layered, somehow complicated, and he still didn’t understand what exactly. He would have figured by the beginning of the next day. For now, all he knew was that imagining the princess in front of a mirror, trying the long white gown she would have wore for her dream wedding with another man suddenly started to hurt him.  
“I bet you look beautiful in it.”  
Luna watched carefully at him, pondering the trail of his thoughts. She wanted to say something but she couldn’t and maybe she shouldn’t have either. She laced her fingers, tightening the grip between the gaps like she wanted to wring them. 

Suddenly, a familiar bark surprised them both.

Luna raised her chin to watch at two beautiful dogs running to her.   
“Pryna! Umbra!” She kneeled down, extending her arms for them. Both dogs started to happily lick her face and neck.  
Nyx turned and observed the scene with a smile. “A message from Prince Noctis again?” he asked, again,jealousy in his tone.  
Luna shook her head and sighed, understanding why the dogs came and feeling touched by that unexpected help. “No, this time they came for me. They must’ve known how much I needed them.”

 

\------------------

 

Nyx understood immediately that his job as bodyguard there in Tenebrae would have consisted in letting Luna enjoying her time alone. She didn’t need to tell, he was acute enough to notice. So he just positioned himself next to the door, watching over her without interfere in her private space. 

As a matter of fact, Luna’s intention was just to spend some time in solitude, this time without the Empire monitoring her movements. 

After the first moments spent thinking about Ravus’ intentions, she decided to think to something more pleasant and opened her wardrobe, caressing the material of her beautiful clothes, admiring the accessories she had and that nobody took away from her. She explored the library, opened her favorite books, examined some notes she took who knows how long ago. Sometimes, she felt like thinking out loud, explaining to Nyx what was this or that object, why she got it, what it reminds her of. Most of times, the Glaive didn’t answer. He knew how to be the perfect ghost to talk to and she needed nothing else but that: falling back in the nostalgic dream of her childhood where she found closure.   
That’s all she wanted: saying goodbye to the child inside her, the girl she was before and to step forth as the woman she had become now.  
“Lady Lunafreya?” That call woke Luna up from her ministrations. It was Maria, the old nanny. “Dinner will be served soon. Where do you prefer to be served? I can take some food here or prepare the table downstairs in the dining room.”  
The princess thought about it and then smiled. “Downstairs, so I will have the opportunity to wear one of my dresses again.”  
Maria seemed enchanted by the idea and made a short bow before she happily went to finish the preparations.  
Luna glanced at Nyx with a renewed and glowing smile.  
“Don’t look at me like that,” he said.  
“Like what?”  
“Like you want to ask me to give you fashion advice. Not my area of expertise.”  
“I was not going to ask you that.” She objected, then raised an eyebrow. “I was just wondering what color you prefer.”  
Nyx snorted. “Not white.”

 

\----------------------

 

Easier said than done. More than half of the clothes in the princess’s wardrobe were white and angelic, so Luna took the chance to explain that weirdness:  
“Ravus and I - as heirs of the Fleuret lineage - are tasked to dress in white. I do like other colors, but I can’t actually wear them if not in informal occasions. That’s the protocol.” That was just another evidence which showed how much the princess was forced to hide her true preference in order to respect other people’s decisions. Nyx merely grunted and chose not to comment on it.  
He just stepped out of the room when Luna was changing, but after fifteen minutes, he heard Luna’s voice calling for him:  
“Nyx, could you please come in?”  
He entered back again, thinking to find her all dressed and ready for dinner but stopped when he saw her in front of the screen mirror, with a long stunning emerald dress loosen in the back. “Would you mind…?” she asked, pointing at her beautiful pale and naked shoulders.  
Nyx squeezed his eyes, mouth opened.  
“Princess, you’re not helping me to stay cool.” Even if he was complaining, he was already approaching her, actually eager to help her out especially in that very specific situation.  
“It’s just a dress, hero.”  
“…I’m not talking about the dress.” He was talking about what the dress didn’t cover. He slowly reached out for the zip, taking all the time he needed to admire how smooth it looked her uncovered skin, the perfect form of her visage. It frustrated him that she just wasn’t conscious how sensual she looked right now. Not able to resist, when he zipped up the dress Nyx casually let his fingers slip through until he touched her spine, making her shiver. Even if those little actions were new for Luna, she was already getting addicted to them and had no intention of stopping the encouragement. That’s why she didn’t shrink back, on the contrary, indulged on it. It was like years and years of self-control disappeared every time Nyx got closer.  
“Will you come to eat with me?” Luna asked when she felt sure not to stutter. She adjusted the necklace in the moon’s form on her neckline and glanced at him in the mirror.

Nyx sighed, screwed by every single move she made. “It depends. Will your brother be there too?” he asked, pretending not to take her invite seriously.

“Does it really matter?” she replied, grabbing his arm and elegantly walking out of the room with him. Nyx was surprised to see her audacity, but at the same time he welcomed it gladly.  
They went downstairs through the huge hall, descending the stairs like they were both royalty and the Glaive joked about it:  
“I’m not dressed properly for such an event, but… I have to admit I always wanted to do this.” He whispered at her ear and then lifted his chin very dramatically. Luna giggled and shook her head.  
When they arrived in the majestic dining room, they found out they would have been alone. Ravus was not coming. Maria couldn’t say why. “I just couldn’t find him anywhere.” She had explained.  
This worried both Luna and Nyx, which sharing a glance stood there in silence for a minute. Maria tried to not look to concerned, even if she was: “I suppose I’ll save a plate for Lord Ravus in the meantime. We should serve you the dinner anyway, Lady Lunafreya. Have a seat.”  
Nyx moved a big chair in white wood so that Lunafreya could seat, then he stepped back. Even if he was a member of the Kingsglaive, he knew the protocol of the Crownsguard, too, which wouldn’t allow to him to sit down with her.  
But Luna didn’t care. She grabbed his arm and said, “I was serious about my invitation before, Nyx. We could eat together.”  
The Glaive hesitated, looking around to all the servants standing there. “Princess, I don’t know if…” Even if they shared more intimate moments than a simple dinner, for the first time Nyx felt like he shouldn’t have dared that much. After all, he was only a soldier. A bodyguard. In the hierarchy, he was not really different from Maria or the servants next to her.  
“Would you really let me eat here all alone?” Her eyes were so sad that Nyx’s heart melted. With a big sigh, he took a chair and sat next to her.  
“Fine. Let’s have it your way, as always.”  
Luna looked extremely pleased but the servants were surprised - even shocked - by the decision. They served a lot of people at the Fleuret’s table but nobody of them was a commoner, an informally-dressed immigrant bodyguard at that. Etiquette didn’t translate. Anyway, they didn’t have other choice but to start to serve the appetizers, which Nyx accepted with a really comical expression.  
“I’m sure it tastes amazing… For a small appetizer,” he whispered, not wanting to be heard.  
“You can’t blame the cooks of a royal palace to prepare elegantly small dishes. That’s the way it works.”  
“Isn’t there a Kenny Crowe restaurant in the neighborhood?” Luna giggled, drinking wine from a very expensive crystal glass.  
They continued on that line for almost all the evening: Nyx lightly mocked the aristocratic way of eating and Luna tried not to laugh (with poor results) to not offend the chefs.  
When they finished with dinner, they tried to have a relaxing stroll in the garden - at that hour surrounded by glowing lights and colors, which made the atmosphere extremely romantic - but that was quickly interrupted by Maria: “Lady Lunafreya, I need to discuss with you in… choosing the color of the curtains.”  
“Excuse me?” Luna asked, legitimately puzzled for the request.  
“Yes, and also it’s starting to be cold here in the garden. You better come inside.”  
“I’m not cold." Luna said, her tone getting even more surprised.  
“But milady, none of us wish you to catch your death of cold before the wedding with Prince Noctis.”  
That was when they understood. Maria was clearly acting weird but that sentence put her true reasons under the spotlight. Both Luna and Nyx felt the embarrassment sneaking in for some reasons and they realized they were going too far for the general opinion of the world. They bowed heads and bit their lips.  
“Very well.” Luna finally answered, not lightly. She was sincerely enjoying the Glaive’s company but - thinking on cold mind - she couldn’t disagree with Maria: things slipped out of control and maybe she dared too much with Nyx. Eating and having romantic strolls with the her attractive bodyguard instead than her future husband wasn’t exactly what people expected from a chaste bride-to-be. Especially if that bride was the Princess of Tenebrae and the Oracle of Eos.  
Luna reluctantly followed Maria inside, looking for Nyx’s eyes to say sorry, but the Glaive preferred to avoid her glance.  
He would have rejoined with her later, probably finding her sleeping already in her soft bed, hugging Umbra and Pryna. He would have watched over her, true to his duty as always. Maybe he would have also smiled looking at how beautiful she was before going in his own room to spend the night. 

But for now, all he wanted to do was to be alone in the garden, asking himself how could a mere Glaive with no magic and no title could possibly earn the right to cherish her.

 

\-----------------------

 

Sleeping in her own bed made Luna feel like a child again, young and carefree. On the other hand, when she woke up and realized where she was, she remembered about her duty and what was about to happen.

Umbra was not there anymore, but Pryna lifted her ears and started to wag her tail. Luna caressed her head for a couple of minutes then went to the toilet, taking the nightgown off and checking the scars on her stomach. They were not dark black, just light grey, but they were stable now. That was the sign the changes on her body were starting to get permanent. She could thank the Stars they were not visible on her arms and legs at least.  
She wore her usual lace dress, which had been accurately washed by Maria. After that, she immediately thought about her brother’s disappearance and wondered if he returned.  
She couldn’t deny that meeting him after all that had happened made her feel uneasy and even scared, but in the deep of her heart, she knew how much Ravus still cared for her. She questioned the weight of that love so many times. For example, when he tried to trap her in the room and dragged her to the Empire’s side just to keep her close to devastingly wounding Commander Ulldor’s dominant hand so he may never face combat nor raise a weapon toward Luna ever again. She couldn’t blame his motivations, just his methods, but even so she couldn’t forgive him for what he did to Regis. Her unwillingness to forgive frightened Luna because she loved her brother before Insomnia’s fall. But now the situation was creating a chasm between them that couldn’t be possibly be filled. She didn’t know if she could trust him again.  
There was just a way to make amends. She would have to speak with Ravus. The day before she ran away from him just because she wanted to avoid a fight between him and Nyx, but now she would have look for him, and question him about his true intentions. After all, he still was her brother and deserved at least an honest conversation.  
Thinking about all this, she found herself in the hall where Maria and some others servants were waiting.  
“Have you seen my brother?”  
Maria bowed. “No, milady. We couldn’t find him and…”  
This was not good. It was potentially dangerous, actually. Lunafreya entwined her fingers and started to think with a very worried expression on her face.  
“Maybe I know where to find him,” she said, her big blue eyes almost wet, and then quickly walked away.  
“Wait, Lady Lunafreya! It’s not good for you to leave without protection! The Empire’s troops could see you and–”  
But Luna was already out of the huge door, running towards the rising dawn.

 

\----------------------

 

She had to walk for a very long while until the castle became just a small construction in the background. Beyond the gazebo surrounded by roses and beyond the flourishing garden, there was a large field that nobody took care of where sylleblossoms grew wild. Luna always thought she was bonded to that place because of Noctis, but if she had to speak the truth, before him, that was a special place for her and Ravus. It was Ravus the one who took her there for the first time and it quickly became the only safe refuge where they would run to when they needed to stay alone.  
Luna thought she would have find him there, and even if she wasn’t excited to face him she knew that confrontation was an inevitable consequence. Things needed to be settled… Before her departure for Altissia.  
Lunafreya slowed down when she left the garden’s gates to arrive in the field. At every step she took, her heart sunk deeper in her chest. The light of the dawn was shining through the disappearing fog, painting things in yellow and green. There she saw her brother, sitting on the grass, occupied with a profound meditation, surrounded by the blue flowers she liked so much.  
Luna took a deep breath, imagining already how painful how this conversation would end up being and how much it would be if it was delayed any further. She called for him anyway.  
“Ravus!”  
Her brother lifted his chin and looked over his shoulder. Even if he was unfazed by her intiative to seek him out, Luna understood he was surprised to see her. The princess got slowly closer, her knees trembling.  
“I thought you did not wish to see me. Had I erred in my deduction?”  
“Was that why you disappeared yesterday?”  
“I do not know why you are present in Tenebrae now.” Ravus stood up to face her, tone apparently calm and balanced. “Your sole plea for me was not to reveal your presence to the Empire. But I am the High Commander of the Niflheim Empire, sister. To respect your request, I had to keep my distance and make it so that no other eyes could follow you.”  
Lunafreya narrowed eyes, puzzled by the sentence.“What have you become?” Ravus looked down, not able to answer his sister. “Brother, what has the Empire done to you?”  
“You are well-aware that the Empire is currently posulating dominance it does not possess. Know that our ‘masters’ are merely puppets in a much larger scheme, exactly as we both are resigned to our roles. You for a reason, I for another.”  
“I know.”  
“Yet, you desire to participate in it.” Ravus’s voice was broken in confirming the act and it broke Luna’s heart to hear this unexpected vulnerability.  
“Yes. Just as you have.”  
“However, our paths are different, our similarities end right there. You care for the sake of the entire world and I sought to protect you from your recklessness. Our objectives leave a glaring quandary that neither of us could ignore.” Luna was anxious because of his honesty, feeling that for the first time in his whole life he was admitting his affection. “I do not fancy your death, sister. I could not bear losing another relative. Not again.”  
“Is that why you’ve sworn your allegiance? That’s why you raise your blade for the glory of conquestand vaulted order? Just to have the chance to save me? Even in doing so, you doom Eos?”  
“The price the deities are asking you was just too high.“ His voice started to get higher, revealing the depth of his anger. Not only did he want to save Luna, Ravus also sought to unmask the cruelty of the system they were subjected to. "Gods are no gods if our prayers are not met with mercy and guidance we deserve in exchange. They are undeserving of our worship if all solutions came with senseless martyrdom in the end.”  
But Luna had arguments for that, she was prepared to face those objections since she was a little girl. “They’re the only ones that can give their blessing to Noctis. With the blessings and the power of the kings, Noctis will reclaim his throne and banish the darkness from our world. It is equivalent exchange to me. My life is a scant thing compared to all this.”  
What she wasn’t ready for was what Ravus replied next:  
“Have you informed him of this? Have you told Noctis that his life is nothing compared to the Astrals’ and Old Kings’ will as well? Ignorance shrouds his eyes. He could not possibly know that his life, too, must be offered in order to complete his destiny. And how many people perished because of him? Insomnia fell in a single night because Regis relinquished the lives of innocents, bystanders of this prophecy, to save his only son. The endless cycle of death and despair could not be possibly worth that. It is utter nonsense and you should not encourage it! Do not be another victim in this game.”  
Luna closed the eyes hearing that, words stabbed at her like a knife in the stomach. She came to terms about her own sacrifice, but thinking about Noctis - the only friend she ever had during her childhood - broke her heart in thousand pieces.  
"And furthermore,” he continued, balling his hands into fists. “You have people caring for you in this world. You are a source of inspiration for all Eos. The Empire gave you certain freedom during the years because they knew how much people love you. What will they do when you will be gone? Who will give them hope? You can’t trust them to go on their behalf once the darkness arrived.” She covered her lips with both hands, moving away and turning her back to Ravus.   
She repeated what she already said once, suddenly her arguments were weak as they have never been before: “I have faith in Noctis. He will accept his fate as I did. He will reclaim the throne and he will be the one giving people hope.“  
“And then he will die too because he simply doesn’t have a choice, does he? You will be dead by then because the Six extinguished your life! Tell me, Lunafreya, do you have signs of fatigue, signs that unveil the truth of how close you are to death? You are paying the ultimate price. Day by day, your very life slips through your fingers like sand! Cast away the disillusion and glamour that has caged you all your life!”  
Luna stopped walking and looked down at the flowers, seeking comfort. But she couldn’t find it, and that made her realizing how valid Ravus objections were. Anyway she was strong enough to add in a firm tone: “I trust in Noctis.” She believed in the True King and her cherished friend and meant it, the Oracle would repeat her belief endlessly regardless of her brother’s arguments. “He is our King.” She didn’t know what else she could say. The Noctis’ card was literally the only ace in the sleeve she had.  
Ravus had to walk towards her, his diatribe continued. Her elder sibling always had a fiery temper and the next he opened his mouth he couldn’t help but scream, “Sister, cease this madness! That boy will never be king!”  
“Noctis is chosen. It is ordained. You of all people should know.” The last remark was uttered merely to spite Ravus, knowing that he had been rejected and to end the conversation. It proved uneffective.  
“I know that you’re throwing your life away!”  
“That may be! But it’s my choice!” she screamed her grief until she realized her throat was raw, turning around to face him again. But when Luna did, she noticed Nyx some steps away from Ravus, totally shocked, his eyebrows narrowed, the fists closed. She couldn’t discern how long he had been there, but one thing was sure: he heard everything.  
And facing him would have been far worse than facing her brother’s desperation.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx discovered Luna’s secret and now they both have to deal with their confusing feelings and the destiny the Gods prepared for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long chapter, but now that things started to get complicated, I needed more space. From now on, I will really start to get canon divergent, because at this point of the canon the plot didn’t make a lot of sense anyway, so i had to change a bit. Also, I really enjoyed to introduce Ravus and his funny-possible relationship with Nyx. I kinda think… they would get really along in the end. They both have a serious sis-com, afterall xD Thanks as always to my dear @loveiscosmicsin !!

“What… What does all this mean?”  
The only answer Nyx received was the Fleuret siblings’ resigned silence. For a long minute also the breeze which delicately moved the sylleblossom seemed to stop. The betrayed expression on the Glaive’s face directly matched the numbed one on Luna’s. Invasive panic rose from her stomach and sheer terror was the only force that held her tears at bay. She didn’t want him to know about her secret, especially in this fashion. Nyx waited on bated breath for one of them to speak. A forced laugh escaped him. When he spoke again, his voice was broken by a raising anger. “I asked you a question. This is the part where you give me an answer.”  
Being interrupted by an uninvited spectator annoyed Ravus, who was already upset by the precedent discussion.  
“This is a private conversation between my sister and I. Your eyes, ears, and mouth are not welcomed.” Nyx just ignored him and a took a step forward, studying Luna. Ravus’ prosthetic hand tightened into a fist. “I will not repeat myself,” he said through clenched teeth. “Leave now.”  
Lunafreya tried to intervene but she inhaled and exhaled to calm her racing heart before she could whisper, “Ravus, wait…” At that point, Luna’s pleas went ignored and Ravus preemptively shoved the Glaive backwards. Nyx reacted pushing the hand away, forced to confront the elder Fleuret head on. That was exactly what Luna wanted to avoid the day before and now that she was facing what she legitimately considered one of her worst nightmares, she wasn’t prepared at all. Even if she knew how coward it would be, she just wished to disappear, stupidly hoping that things would fix by themselves. Of course, it was not possible. On the contrary, she realized immediately that it was a moment of truth and that in the next 15 minutes the successive discussion would have decide if Nyx’s loyalty would have been with her or not. The possible outcome scared and paralyzed her. In the end, her worst fear, ‘doing nothing and losing everything’ was exactly coming true before her eyes.  
“Please don’t…” she begged, but her voice broke and she couldn’t finish the sentence. That was not a good beginning for someone who wanted to take responsibilities for her behavior.  
On Luna’s contrary, Ravus knew exactly how to react at Nyx’s intrusion. His voice wasn’t shaking at all, it was sharp as steel when he asked: “Who are you anyway to come here with my sister, bearing the Ring of the Lucii and flaunting authority you do not wield?”  
“Out of my way, Prince of Nothing. Gotta speak with the fairy maiden over there, not with you.”  
Ravus unshealthed his rapier, outraged and unstoppable, and unleashed it at impressive velocity upon the Glaive’s head. Trained by years of military education, Nyx was somehow ready to react and moved away but a scream paralyzed him on the place. Suddenly, a transparent shield protected him from the hit, deflecting Ravus’ swordwith no effort on the Glaive’s part. The shield immediately disappeared but its existence couldn’t be denied. Ravus stared past Nyx with wide eyes and mouth agape with incredulity and Nyx followed the Commander’s gaze to find Luna breathing heavily, arm outstretched and brow furrowed. She gained their undivided attention to make her demand once more.  
“Now… Stop. Please.”  
“Lunafreya, why is he–” the High Commander asked but his sister quickly answered with her strong, unfaltering stance:  
“He has the Ring because he can be trusted.” Nyx opened his mouth, fed up with the deception and this weary game of half-truths and outright lies to let his anger subside.  
“Oh, you trust me now? Really? How much did you trust me? Because it obviously wasn’t enough for you to tell me that you’re dying.” He pulled away Ravus and stood a little straighter, anger finally winning over any other feeling. He just couldn’t think clearly, the words he just eavesdropped kept running in his head like a tornado destroying a small hovel. All he saw was red, fury clouding his usual good sense. If he would calm down, he would have feel his heart break in thousand of pieces but no, it was too early for that now, pain would have come later. Now he didn’t want to feel that. Now he only wanted to let his wrath explode, maybe hoping that this would have changed something. “Is it the healing thing, right? Healing people sucks your energy away, exactly like I said! You lied to me!”  
Luna shook her head vigorously. Convincing him to stay by her side would have been more difficult than she thought.  
“No! No, I didn’t lie to you about that! Healing people tires me but it doesn’t kill me, it’s something else, it’s–”  
“Oh, great, you didn’t lie me on THAT at least! So what’s the truth?” Luna closed her eyes, she understood in that very moment that he wasn’t ready to accept any justification now. Trying to explain herself wasn’t probably a good choice in the first place. On the other hand, the one who saw a good opportunity to intervene and probably win the discussion was Ravus.  
“In awakening the Six Astrals of our world,” he explained, voice still harshas finding it beneath him to explain to a commoner, “the Oracle must sacrifice herself in exchange for the forged pacts.”  
Nyx was surprised to hear that explanation from the man who attacked him not long ago, but didn’t take his eyes off the princess.  
“This means…” he started again with a renewed anger. “That you asked me… to escort you, no, to accompany you to slowly getting yourself killed when you perfectly knew the purpose of MY mission. King Regis entrusted me with your safety, with your personal happiness, and you literally asked me to run your suicide mission? Did you even plan to tell me this sooner or later? Maybe on your death bed?” He exaggeratedly mocked every conversation they had over this. He got plenty of rage to give away. Lunafreya just stood there, hands covering her mouth and her nose, trembling. “The king knew about this, didn’t he? Throwing your life away like it’s nothing?”  
“Would that had changed something?” She finally asked, voice suffocated by her own hands. “You can’t change my destiny because it’s already written in the stars. You can’t stop me now.”  
“Yeah, but maybe I wouldn’t have kissed you either!” He screamed back, moving a arm like he wanted to slap someone right on the face.  
“You did what?” Ravus blinked at them both, for the first time touched by a surprised expression that didn’t suit him.  
“This changes everything.” Nyx continued, ignoring the man, not having time for the protective brother act interrupting what needed to be said. “I never asked for you to spend your life with me or anything, but I encouraged you to live your life because I thought you had one in the first place. I thought you had a future and I implicitly considered my duty as a guardian to guarantee it to you!”  
“You knew I was hiding something but you claimed to accept whatever it was…”  
“I didn’t expect this and I’m really fed up with it for Stars’ sake!” He screamed again. He swallowed hard and took a couple steps away from the siblings. He pointed at the ground with one finger and started to talk with a deeper voice, yet still sharp. “Let me see if I got it right. The duty you always claimed to take care of is actually a human sacrifice that the Six are demanding in order to givetheir blessing to Prince Noctis, the only one who can banish the darkness from Eos and also the only person you worry about. But you didn’t tell the poor boy that he’s gonna die, too? How is it possible? Do the Gods ask for his life the same way they ask for yours?” Luna couldn’t answer again, she was too occupied with hearing her own heartbeat dropping down, waddling in the despair she’s created. She couldn’t even remember the last time she felt so numb and desperate, maybe when she lost her mother or when Gentiana revealed her true destiny. Thinking about it now, she realized that even if she always symbolized hope and inspiration for all the people of Eos, her life was constantly marked by terrible episodes of utter lack of hope, like now. For some reasons, Nyx was the only one left at her side from the first time they met, but now she was losing him.  
In the meantime, since he wasn’t getting an answer from the princess, Nyx turned to Ravus, who was still scandalized by the idea of a stranger - possibly an immigrant from Galahd judging by the hairstyle and tattoos - kissing his sister but that somehow managed to formulate an answer for his previous question.  
"The Gods ask for the Oracle’s life. The Ancestorsof Lucis and the Ring ask for the King’s for a higher purpose.” That information hit Nyx like a truck. Suddenly he realized - or better remembered - that there was more at stake than his forbidden newborn feelings for the pretty Princess. He felt betrayed twice for not knowing in advance what would have happened to the only two Guides left on Eos, first as a Kingsglaive member and second as a Crown citizen. He closed his fists and glanced at Luna again.  
“So I didn’t deserve to know this either?” he murmured, still angry but this time also sad. “Me and Libertus - if he’s still alive - are the last members of the Kingsglaive and we swore our loyalty to the Crown, to the King himself, we have always been ready to die for him. And now I discover that the King I served for all these years sold Lucian sons to save his own only in order to force him to die a bit later because of a stupid Ring? I don’t want this. I want the young Prince to be King, to reclaim his throne and actually rule, bringing the peace we all wished for. Or you just assumed that because I am an immigrant with no land I don’t care for that boy? That I could not be loyal to him as a king as I was to Regis? I have my code of honor, Princess, Prince Noctis has my loyalty.”  
Luna opened her mouth to speak, words coming out shattered and broken.  
"I trust him to understand his role–”  
“He’s still just a kid!” Nyx screamed, shocked. “Even if he’s ready to die, no, it should never come to that! We all need him. He must go on living and rebuild this world because this is the future Iwanted for Selena, for my family, for my Crowe,and for all the people of Eos! The same future I thought you wanted to grant, too!” Nyx looked for the chain on his neck, yanking it off. He was disgusted by its heavy burden, understanding that it was nothing but an instrument of death. He would have not bear it anymore, he wouldn’t have participate in this nonsense theater play. “When you entrusted me with this, I thought we stepped up to the next level of trust. I thought you considered me your ally. But now I realize that I was just another ignorant pawn you used to get to Point A to B.”  
He threw the Ring at her feet, putting so much energy in the action that he made it sink in the loamy soil. Luna immediately fell down to her knees, collecting the Ring with the reverential attentiveness. King Regis placed it in her care to give it to Noctis. She was desperate not to lose it now.  
“Congratulations, Your Highness. You somehow managed to betray me, the people of Eos, Prince Noctis, and even yourself, all at once.”  
The tears finally rolled down Luna’s cheeks, transforming her gracious and composed face in a state of helplessness.  
“Nyx, please, don’t…”  
“Now I understand why you didn’t want me to come to Tenebrae with you. I shouldn’t have insisted on coming along. I’ll fix it now. Goodbye, Princess.” And saying so, he imperceptibly turned his back on her. Luna lifted up her chin, tears reaching her lips, burning red cheeks, the Ring pressed to her breast.  
“No, no, Nyx!” But Nyx didn’t want to look at her. Her tears always had a profound effect on him, but he wasn’t in the mood to be deterred from leaving. Walking away wasn’t simple as he thought, not even in his outburst of anger. On the contrary, it hurt like hell, demonstrating through every painful step just how undeniably attached he was to her. “Nyx, please, I need you!” That made him stop. In the middle of the raising dawn, illuminated by the torpid light, Nyx Ulric listened to those words with a dawned realization painted on his face. Only thirty minutes before, he would have make everything to hear Luna saying that to him, but now it felt like a knife in his back.  
He slightly turned around, just what was necessary to show his profile while he answered: “Put down the queenly mask, Princess. You can stop lying now.”  
And this time he really walked away, leaving her in the field of a thousand sylleblossom flowers, desperately crying, with her brother silently watching over her. 

————– 

Ravus waited for what seemed like an eternity before daring to get close to his sister again. When he was sure that Luna cried all her tears already, he kneeled at her side and gently put a lock of hair beyond her ear. The young woman just lifted the chin to look at him. Watching her from such a close distance, Ravus noticed he didn’t see her like this in years, not even when she dared to challenge some soldiers of the imperial army and got beaten afterwards. Now her cheeks were flushed, not a vision to the strong and determined girl he had watched over all those years ago.  
“What happened between the two of you?” he asked then, not sure of how to understand things. Luna sighed, grabbing his collar and trying to calm down.  
“I thought, I hoped… he wouldn’t abandon me. Am I alone in all this now, am I not?” she asked.  
The worst feeling was to unconsciously rely on someone so much that when you find yourself alone you can barely remember how to stand on your own feet again. And Luna definitely didn’t expect to break down like that because of her bodyguard. She thought that her heart would have accepted what her brain already knew, that Nyx would have reacted exactly like he did in the end and walk away. That’s why she didn’t want to give in on him, that’s why she said she would have be better off alone once she was in Tenebrae. Being so desperate was pure nonsense. She shouldn’t have allow to herself to get attached to him so much in the first place. She wasn’t supposed to let him destroy her by simply walking away.  
Ravus studied the expression on her face then looked toward the direction where Nyx departed.  
“Yes.” He answered, a gentle voice haven’t been uttered in years.  
A lot was left unsaid with those three letters only. Ravus wished he could assure her that, in spite of his disapproval, such a reaction was a normal consequence of a deep care, maybe also an unconditional love – because who would have ever accept to let a beloved one to sacrifice her life nonsensically – but he couldn’t. Words could not express his real thoughts and that’s why he decided to stay still this time. No more arguing would have persuaded his sister to stop her suicide mission, especially not now. He simply put an arm around her shoulders and the other under her legs, lifting her up to support her in the deepest weakness. She accepted his help with an heartfelt gratitude, hugging his neck like he was her last anchor. 

————————— 

Nyx didn’t know what or where he should go back to now.  
He left the sylleblossom field and entered in the palace again but once he arrived in the hall, he stopped. While the thick silence deafened him, he found himself wondering where to go now that he pompously renounced his commitment to the mission. That castle wasn’t his home, it was hers. Galahd had been destroyed years before and Insomnia fell in the same way only weeks ago. When that happened, he was able to amortize the sense of loss only because he was concentrated on protecting the princess and that gave a purpose to his life. But giving up on his bodyguard role now threw him back to deep reevaluation. What could he possibly do now?  
He sighed, pulling at his hair and his face. I screwed up, I screwed up everything so much, was the only thought echoed through his head. How could he abandon her, he couldn’t tell. Every single fiber in his body was aching at the memory, refusing the idea he was actually able to go so far. He didn’t want to. For the gods’ sake, he personally cared for that girl more than he ever imagined was possible. At the same time, fury coursed through his veins, remembering the betrayal she caused innot sharing the truth of her mission. But it was not only about the lie itself or the lack of trust she displayed, Nyx simply didn’t want to let her die. He didn’t want to lose her. And probably that was the reason why he got so upset in the first place. He stood there in the center of the hall for a couple of minutes, trying to regulate his conceded breath and to calm down. The train of his thoughts was so clustered he only got numb.  
All of a sudden, a delicate swish reached his military-trained ear and he quickly turned to check who was there.  
Gentiana stepped out of the shadows, walking elegantly on her high heels, floating seemlessly. Her eyes were closed as always. As she got closer, Nyx remembered that Luna once told him she was one of the Six, and knowing now about the sacrifice the Gods were demanding of the Oracle changed completely his attitude towards her.  
“You…” he started, balling up his fist and hissing through clenched teeth. “How could you…?”  
Gentiana continued her gracious walk until she reached his side when she stopped and inclined her head. She waited, understanding that the Glaive wanted to say more, as he did. “You were supposed to help her. Isn’t that what gods do? To bless the people who called for them? When did you turned in monsters demanding for human sacrifices in order to give their blessings?”  
Even if Nyx tried not to scream, his anger surfaced from the core of his feelings, reaching the grimace on his face and setting his eyes on fire. On the contrary, Gentiana seemed barely touched by his accusation.  
“The blessings the deities are asked to give are not a concession, but an exchange. The sacrifice of one for the sake of all is the most benevolent price we require.”  
“One? You mean two.”  
“The king’s sacrifice is of another condition, demanded by the Old Kings to grant a power beyond the lesser mortals and their reach. Only the combination of the two can defeat the great darkness once for all and restore hope to the world.”  
“How exactly?”  
"Inside the crystal, Bahamut has been trapped. Being this the only temporary way to stop Ifrit, the traitorous Lord of Fire. When the True King receives the Ring by the Oracle’s hand, he shall liberate them both, so the Traitor will finally be defeated once for all, together with the Usurper, the incarnation of darkness.”  
“Sure and he’ll die immediately afterwards with the Oracle who wore herself out just to wake up the gods. I don’t want a future based on their sacrifices. There’s been enough deaths. I don’t want it. Nobody wants it.”  
“Mankind are curious creatures. If they wouldn’t accept blood to be spilled in order to keep their lifeas you claim, you honor them with a virtue they don’t have.”  
“Sorry, lady. I’m just not built that way.”  
Gentiana looked at him, for the first time truly looked at him.  
“Yes, I can sense it.” She admitted, with that ethereal voice capable of making bones tremble.  
"You are of a different kind. You are made of the same components of the Oracle and the King of Kings. Most interesting, indeed, when no royal blood course through your veins.”  
Those words puzzled Nyx, and made him stop and frown. He knew she used to talk in riddles but he wasn’t one to have the patience for it. He was more of a man of action.  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“Not even the gods should underestimate the courage empowering you. However, I shall speak my warning: no matter how profoundly the wolf aligns himself after the moon, he will never understand her movements in the sky and… he must not reach her there, for that is not his place to be.” Nyx grimaced even more.  
“Enough of the cryptic gimmicks, I’m not in the mood. Lunafreya’s dying because of you and—” Gentiana was gone in a blink of an eye. That pissed him off. “Great. Just great. I’m sick of everyone acting like they’re interested in me!”  
He screamed to the void of the hall, his voice echoing back. He waited an instant, eyes on fire, gnashed his teeth in frustration. Then he kicked the air, sighed and turned around, storming off.

————————- 

Luna lost consciousness after Ravus picked her up. It was in the middle of the afternoon when she woke up in her own bed. Her brother wasn’t in the room, but Pryna was. The canine with white and brown patches sweetly looking at her to check out if she was better. The low sound of her whimper filled the air.  
The first thing Luna did was to check the Ring of the Lucii she still held tightly in her possession. It made its impression on her palm under the pressure. It was dense and wicked, exactly as she remembered, and that somehow brought to her mind to other memories. The image of Nyx saying goodbye was the most hurtful one though, capable of turning every wall or resistance she took years to built to ash. She closed her eyes again. Thank the Stars the tears didn’t come again. In fact, she felt so dry and powerless, like all the blood had been sucked out of her veins. She really needed a glass of water.  
She stood up and went to the toilet, stopping in front of the mirror to check out how sickly her appearance turned. Her lips were chapped, her eyes were red, dark circles under her dried eyelids. She decided to take a shower, but seeing her own naked body under the hot water only made her feel worse. The illness that marked her for death was slowing covering more and more space on her skin, starting from her stomach and down to her thighs now, tracing a sort of spiral who would have looked like a tattoo if it wasn’t for the iridescent color of it. Somehow, after the conversation of that morning, the signs which unveils her ultimate price were even more heavy to bear. For this reason probably, the shower didn’t last long. Luna quickly stepped out and covered herself with a white towel and then dressed up again.  
When she returned to her bedroom, arranging the braids of her hair in the right place, she found Gentiana near the perfectly huge, clean windows. She was actually regarding the mannequin with the wedding dress on it with placated reverence. Luna approached, knowing her visit wasn’t casual.  
“Blessed be, Gentiana.” Luna bowed, speaking the holy expression. Oddly enough, Gentiana’s attention remained on the dress.  
“Your faith falters in the time of imperative action.”  
“It’s not.” The Oracle rushed to answer, but she was not entirely honest and the woman seemed to know that already.  
“Tasting the sweet, fleeting flavor of life always tempted the mortals. It usually doesn’t bring tragic consequences for the ones who decide to enjoy it forever but in your case, concession to the allure of it may force you to reconsider the purpose you were born for. A grave consequence, indeed. A critical point approaches and there would be no return if this sentiment does not change.”  
For a moment, Luna frowned thinking of what Nyx would have thought hearing that admonishment: that her death was the tragic consequence, not her desire of enjoying life and love. She had to repeat herself that the future of all was more important that her personal life. Recognizing it costed her a lot more effort than usual.  
"It was just a kiss. Or two.” Her answer was shy, it came out in a whisper. Admitting her guilt in front of the deity who always had been the closest to her was not only embarrassing, but also mortifying. Gentiana finally opened her eyes and turned to glance openly at her, like she usually never did.  
“Overcame many obstacles, yet this is one that causes you to crumble. It unravels you like a banner.”  
"I don’t crumble. I acknowledge my duty.”  
“And yet, you start to question it now. It was heartwarming to see the future King and the Oracle enjoy familiarity because no one could understand better than the person who shares the same destiny. You were having that. Being guarded by the courageous Glaive was not supposed to stand in your way.” For the first time in her all life, Gentiana dared to talk so clearly, like she not even was a divinity anymore. Her voice sounded a bit too frank, but at the same time brought to light what happened until now only in Luna’s mind. For the young Oracle, it felt like being undressed of all her defenses in a public square.  
“I still care for Noctis and for the sake of the world and all life. More than anything else. It’s my destiny and it’s also my choice. Come what may, I will never stop acting in the name of all this.”  
“Then where does the origin of your doubts lie?”  
“I don’t have doubts.”  
“Lies are not considered lighthearted jests for my kind, Lady Lunafreya.” Luna entwined her fingers, holding so tight to herself that she almost crushed her own bones. That conversation was getting more and more uncomfortable. “I sense your reluctance. If you do not doubt your call, you are doubting how you are to fulfill it.”  
The memory of the first kiss she ever had with Nyx popped indecently on her mind, with no reason nor invitation. Immediately after, followed the memory of the way he kept her closer on the pirate ship, and again the moment when he zipped up her dress, delicately caressing her spine, procuring her so much pleasure, it was naughty.  
“No!” she screamed, lying to herself. Her cheeks were burning red and tears welled in her eyes, clouding her vision. The flavor of life, as Gentiana called it, only Nyx and nobody else procured to her - had already come to an end. Between her and the Glaive there has been something undefined and short but now he left anyway, he said goodbye, he renounced to his bodyguard duty. Changing the aim that always motivated her since she was twelve years old didn’t make sense at all now that he wasn’t there anymore to remind her that the life was hers to choose. “I will do whatever I have to. I would not stop my journey. I will awake the Goddess of the Sea, I will find Bahamut, I will face it all. Noctis remains being my only concern, and our only hope.”  
Gentiana’s face softened a bit, maybe understanding her struggle more than she could imagine.  
“It is a relief to hear these words. You of all people must know the lack of alternative choices. The pilgrimage you started is the only path which will lead you to a world full of light. King Regis was convinced of this and I’m glad to see you are too.”  
Another memory dawned on Luna’s mind, hitting her worse than the previous one. It was Regis, painful expression, hand stretched towards her, whispering his last wish: ‘I know your mother would wish the same as me. That you and Noctis live happily.’  
Live happily.  
Happily.  
Was death really the happiest ending he wished for them?  
“Yes. King Regis was a kind man. I wish I could stand by his side during the darkest moments of his life and since I could not, I will do my best in the present for Noctis.”  
“You will the king’s guidance and Regis would have only wished this for you two.” Again, something didn’t sound right in that sentence. Like Gentiana was lying, like what she just spoke wasn’t the truth. ’…That you and Noctis live happily.’ Why was that echoing in her mind like that only now?  
“At first, the father had mourned the fate of his chosen son.” Gentiana continued, delicately leaving her spot and positioning herself next to the windows. “Yet in Tenebrae, the two found solace. It was not the Oracle who assuaged their fears. But the girl. She holds the true power.”  
Considering the talk they just had, those praises were so out of the blue, that Luna started to sense where Gentiana wanted to head the conversation. Even if her words could theoretically alleviate the stress on Luna’s shoulders, the young Oracle felt instead for the first time in her life like a heavy burden was placed on them. Or worse: she felt like the Glacian herself was trying to manipulate her to achieve some vague purpose.  
“I have little to offer a king, other than the voice afforded the Oracle,” she said anyway, like she, too, played an acting role. “Nevertheless… and I’m afraid he might find this foolish, but to be together with Noctis again, even if only for a short while… would mean the world to me.” In this she was speaking the truth especially now that she felt so alone again - like she was for years during her young age - Lunafreya only wished to have back his childhood best friend, to hear his voice, to be careless and happy like they both were in the short time they enjoyed together as kids. Looking back to what she had passed, she could maybe say that the one with Noctis was the only serene relationship remained in her life. The memory of him cradle her all along her darkest times and now it was a familiar emotional clutch to go back to when she had nothing else. “I do not seek to guide him, merely to stand beside him.”  
Gentiana nodded, apparently satisfied in hearing her speaking so.  
"You must disembark then.” That surprised Luna.  
“Leave? Already?” What she actually meant was, ‘Alone?’ Gentiana didn’t seem too puzzled by her hesitation. On the contrary, she stepped closer to hold her hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze.  
“Nobody else will support you anymore, but you shall have no need of it. You have the strength in you. Do what your heart decided. Godspeed, Lady Lunafreya.”  
Luna gave thought to the suggestion long after Gentiana departed and even though the goddess was evasive about destiny had set this course in stone for her, the Oracle decided to take matters in her own hands for once. With the heart aching at the idea of what she left behind - her land, her people, her brother… Her bodyguard – she decided to depart for Altissia on her own.

———— 

Nyx slept in the same room he used the night before, the smallest one of the entire castle probably, which was enormous anyway. Because of all that useless space, he found it creepy now. There was a chill in the air that made him even more uneasy, which didn’t help with his mood.  
The anger was slowly starting to ebb away, leaving a good huge void quickly filled with the deepest pain that ever consumed him. He was not used to it. The battle wounds affected his body only and left another kind of scar on his skin, less deleterious, somehow more bearable. They also tended to heal in time. The princess’s betrayal kicked his heart right in its most sensitive spots instead, leaving it scattered and in agony, with no possibility of getting better anytime soon. On the contrary, after some hours from the discovery, Nyx noticed how even breathing was getting harder and harder, like the more he thought about it, the more he found reasons to be numb about it. He had the feeling he would be better to leave Tenebrae as soon as he can, but in the same time he didn’t find the courage to abandon the palace until he saw Luna was fine again, which was a great inconvenience since he didn’t want to meet her at all for the moment.  
He thought about it over and over, valuing the alternatives and the possibilities, deciding in the end to go back to Lucis and look for Libertus. In the last weeks he wondered multiple times if his friend was still alive and now that his job wasn’t stopping him anymore, he chose it was the opportunity to find out for sure. He would have find him and together they would have decided to do with their lives again, now that their cities, countries, jobs, and lives had been swept away again.  
Nyx only hoped - almost prayed - in the deep of his heart that Libertus was still alive. If he had passed too, Nyx wouldn’t have only lost someone he really cared for again. He would have been totally alone again. Right… again.  
After three hours of forced sleep, he woke up and began to walk in the room. He made some push ups, he took a quick cold shower, he changed his outfit back to the kingsglaive’s leather trousers and boots. After those mechanic movements, he looked out of the window, everything was ethereal and annoyingly still, too perfect to be true. That it was the moment when he realized that Tenebrae was exactly like its princess: beautiful and fake. That was not the place for him to be. It was really time for him to go away.  
He turned heels, grabbed his old Kingsglaive jacket - clean but still ruined by the Insomnia’s battles - and took the keys of the car they left far from the castle. Wouldn’t be a problem to borrow it to travel back to the port, where he would have probably get in touch with the pirates again to have a safe trip to Lucis.  
His heart ached at the idea of taking such a drastic decision, however, he also knew he couldn’t guard Lunafreya anymore. His primary instinct was to keep her safe as he always did in Insomnia because that was what he promised to Regis and also because he deeply cared for her, even too much by now, and he couldn’t bare to stand back and watch her die slowly. He couldn’t even bare to see a stretch on her skin, actually. Of course, all this didn’t match with the suicide mission she was planning to have instead.  
Furthermore, he was a touchy person and the fact that Luna didn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth deeply wounded his pride. He couldn’t guard someone who hid things from him all along.  
He passed through the corridors, his step on the white tiles in marble was the only sound in the utter silence of the night. The full moon - shiny and beautiful - threw its light through the huge windows, shining upon him. Nyx’s decision was harder to put into effect. He specifically avoided the area where he knew he would find Luna’s chambers and made the longest tour. The more he stepped away from her, the more he felt his heart burned in pain. But again he repeated to himself he didn’t have other choice: better the temporary pain than the permanent illusion of living a lie. That thought didn’t help a lot.  
Once he arrived in the hall, he noticed four servants in the corners, who didn’t raise a finger to stop him from leaving. Why would they have to? He was nothing more than bystander, he was no prince, no noble, not even a general or captain. He was just a soldier who tricked himself enough to think that the label ‘hero’ could elevate him to the princess’ level. But now the reality remembered him in the hardest way that he never deserved to watch, to listen or to think, exactly like Drautos once told him. What a fool he was.  
But then, as Nyx reached with the hand for the door’s handle, a deep voice called out for him. A voice he really didn’t expect to hear now, echoing in the silence.  
“You.”  
Ravus didn’t know the Glaive’s name, so he called for him in the most generic way. Nyx turned around, eyebrows furrowed in astonishment.  
Seeing the High Commander standing next to the exit of a lateral door at that hour of the night, staring with those bicolored eyes, was kinda surprising, if not even creepy. He looked like a tormented ghost. Did that guy even sleep?  
“I have a name. Nyx Ulric.” The dry explanation didn’t touch Ravus’ stoicism.  
“I did not ask your name. Come with me. Now.”  
“Excuse me? Who died and made you king of the universe?”  
Nyx was seriously struggling between the surprise of hearing a similar order and the annoyed attitude the mere sight of Luna’s brother kindled in him. The curiosity clearly won over the bother in the end: since Ravus moved in the other room without adding another word, Nyx didn’t have any choice but reluctantly following him there.  
They arrived in the coziest lounge of the entire castle probably, made in white and prestigious marble like the rest but also in dark wood and warm colored carpets. A small fireplace threw gentle shadows on the furnitures, giving a touch of a hospitable atmosphere. The Glaive was surprised seeing such a room existed because he already got used to the beautiful but cool halls which characterized the castle. He didn’t expect the High Commander to take him to somewhere intimate and private.  
Ravus stiffly and calmly walked to the small piano bar. He took a thick glass from a shelf and ice from the fridge, and topped his drink with a dark liquor.  
“What do you desire to drink?” Who knew Ravus Nox Fleuret was capable of being polite? Nyx hesitated in shock but then just squeezed his eyes and raised the eyebrows.  
“Whatever’s alcoholic” he said, shrugging, like he never thought he would answer to that question. Ravus turned to watch him, furrowed eyes, placidly hostile when Nyx didn’t move to join him.  
“I am not your waiter. Serve yourself.” And at that, he sat on a decorated couch, displaying aristocracy. Nyx snorted.  
“Of course, Your Highness.”  
As he approached the piano bar, memories of his youth in Galahd hit him, and thinking about some anecdotes of his former life tending to a bar with Libertus. It really helped him to get ready for the conversation it was about to start.  
“Okay, should I have a seat, too? Or am I gonna ruin the good furniture if I do?” He asked to start it off, trying very quickly to raise a wall for his own defense. He was not in the mood to be lectured by a super protective brother.  
“If you think I am here because I find pleasure in mingling with peasants, you are gravely mistaken.” Ravus scoffed darkly as he took a sip of his drink. “Sit down and before I regret having taken the initiative in addressing you.”  
Nyx grimaced, innerly mocking his pompous way of talking in his head, but in the end he did what he was asked to. He chose a couch on the opposite side of the fireplace and made himself comfortable but there was nothing to be comfortable about. Ravus waited a minute before starting with a generic yet important question: “Who are you exactly and why did you accompany my sister here in Tenebrae in the first place?”  
“Nyx Ulric, Kingsglaive unit, loyal to the Lucis’ Crown. I was charged by King Regis to escort the princess to Altissia.”  
“Speak simply. I have little regard for your resume in the military.” Nyx arched his eyebrows, knowing already what he wanted to make sure of.  
“I was with Lunafreya when Insomnia was sacked and got her and the Ring safely away from Niffs. I dunno if you remember me, but we saw your arm catch on fire back there. And yes, I stole her first kiss.” He muttered the last sentence like a guilty admission he was deeply ashamed of. The only memory of it made his heart ache and his head burst, but Ravus didn’t bat an eye.  
“That is quite an ordeal.”  
“Right? Guess I can’t go down without a bang.”  
“I assume you care deeply for my sister.”  
Nyx hold his breath, trying to find an answer that wouldn’t have make him appear stupid or hopelessly deluded, but couldn’t help with it. He sighed and admitted, “Yeah.“  
Ravus took a sip of his liquor and Nyx waited a minute after that, just to be sure he didn’t previously poisoned the ingredients of his drinks. As much he could expect from the surreal calmness the High Commander was displaying.  
“So it was you. I recall having seen Glauca fighting with someone while I was… preoccupied with the Ring, so forgive me if I didn’t recognize your face.” A minute of silence, another sip from the glass. “What of your magic?”  
“Died with the king.”  
“So, what are you now exactly? Except a conceited immigrant with no reinforcements, land or power and lusts after women beyond his reach?” Nyx swallowed, he didn’t know how to answer to that.  
“Yeah… You summed it up pretty well, I guess.” Ravus showed the first sign of intolerance by closing his eyes for a moment and sighting.  
“Another inquiry, if you will. Does your loyalty hold water to be sneaking away in the middle of the night? Away from your sworn word to accompany Lunafreya?” He asked, articulating the words like he suddenly believed that his interlocutor was handicapped. Nyx sensed it and got offended by the tone used.  
“I was doing what you were doing, too. Wrapping my head around the princess’s stupid decisions.” Ravus gazed at him, furrowing eyebrows, the two colors of his eyes particularly evident in that suffused light. But now it was Nyx’s turn to show off the strength of his glance. “I can’t imagine you were just having a drink because you’re a connoisseur, right?”  
Ravus’ eyes looked down and seemed to become sad for the first time.  
“Drinks are merely a clutch I used to put aside my torments for a couple of hours. Never enough drink in our world to blur the lines of fantasy and nightmares.” That sentence didn’t stop him from taking another sip. “Your desertion is not far from how I cope so I present you a warning. Once you are far from here, you would not feel the relief you have hoped for.”  
It took a minute for Nyx to digest the truth of that statement but when he did it, he nodded. Talking about regrets and suffering, Ravus seemed to know the subject through and through. Nyx believed him. Another long silence sneaked in, blurred his mind for awhile, heavy like an entire building was on his shoulders then he had to ask:  
“What am I supposed to do then? Just accept her dying? I can’t do that.” Ravus expression was the closest one to an exasperated one.  
“Why are you asking me? I failed to turn the tables of fate.”  
“Yeah? What the hell did you do?” Nyx slightly mocked him, trying to imagine his well hidden line of actions. To his eyes, it was hard to believe that a man with that grudge could actually care so much for someone else but himself. He had to change his mind after hearing the answer. As a matter of fact, Ravus rested his elbows on the knees and explained:  
“I joined the Empire knowing they would have tried to kill the Six and pursued the Ring of Lucii. By using it, I thought I would have replaced Noctis somehow… So Lunafreya wouldn’t have to start this inane quest. It may sound nonsensical now but I was willing to give my life for Lunafreya’s. Unfortunately, I nearly lost my life as a result and it did nothing to affect hers.”  
“How?”  
“The kings recognized the Blood of the Oracle in my veins, so they spared me. I would say it was a miracle if they enforced a price for my foolishness.” And pointed at his steel arm. Nyx was puzzled.  
“The Blood of the Oracle?”  
“It may surprise you, but magic courses through House Fleuret and its descendants and perhaps, future generations would bear the curse.” Nyx snorted a laugh at the High Commander’s words. “My mother held the office and my sister her successor. And the Kings of the past always showed a deep regard for the Oracle lineage. That was how I survived.”  
“Yeah, I guess that is the only reason. What’s the plan if you succeeded? Conquer the world with an iron fist? Order your enemies to step on building blocks?”  
“No. Killing the gods as the Empire intended.”  
Nyx opened the mouth in surprise and started a nervous laugh.  
“So it doesn’t matter one way or another.” Sarcasm was the only possible comment to that statement. Only a weirdo like Ravus could have coming up with such a ridiculous idea.  
“Lunafreya’s goal is to awake the Astrals to serve the King of Kings, so he can use both powers - the one of the Lucian Ancestors and the one of the gods - to defeat the Usurper. But both powers request a human sacrifice. If I had sabotaged Noctis’ and Lunafreya’s journey, by killing the Six and using the Ring, they would have survived.”  
“But doing so, the 'Usurper’ - even if I don’t know who he is - will prosper. Is it that bad?”  
“I say it is.” Ravus recognized, staring at the void in front of him. Nyx put his drink on the small table between them and pressed the fingers on his face.  
“Sounds like a dog running in circle biting his own tail.” Ravus shook his head.  
“The world must learn to take care of its own future, one that is without divine intervention or guidance. Surely, you can see that it is simply ridiculous to call upon the gods for a horoscope.”  
Nyx retired in the couch, sitting untidily on it. He sank the chin in the chest and meditated on what the former Prince just said. The future of the world.  
On one hand, he agreed with what Ravus said, because masses were superficial and silly, usually ready to rely on someone else to have their lives saved with no effort. After that, they would have probably make a statue for their heroes and forget about them pretty quickly. But on the other hand… Wasn’t he labeled as the hero because of his reckless tendency to save everyone’s back in spite of his own life? It was true, he got upset with the princess for hiding the truth and for permanently putting her life in danger, but he could understand her motivations after all. She was doing what she thought it was right to save the world and Nyx could get angry because of it but couldn’t entirely blame her.  
“The fact is …” he murmured after a while, speaking undertone, eyes aiming the nothing in front of him. “I want it all. Giving a future to those who wants to see it, including the future King Noctis. Including your sister. She… deserves it as much as other people do.”  
Ravus listened to those words carefully and let them float in the air like a hopeless wish. His forehead was frowned like he didn’t agree entirely - and of course he didn’t, because he didn’t care in general for the rest of the world like he cared for his sister.  
So they finished their drinks in silence and said nothing more. At a certain point they were both wondering how could the High Commander of the Imperial Army of Niflheim and an immigrant Glaive of Lucis reasonably share drinks and chat about the future of the world, but didn’t dare ask it out loud.  
Nyx blinked at Ravus only once, thinking he was not as bad as he imagined. After all, he reminded him of himself with Selena some years before. If only Nyx was as powerful as Ravus back then, he maybe would have been able to save her.  
His thoughts were interrupted by an urgent knock at the door. Ravus didn’t even give permission to enter when Maria suddenly rushed in, her wrinkled face flustered in worry.  
“My Lord… Lady Lunafreya is… Oh, Stars forgive me!” Ravus wide opened his eyes, while Nyx jumped on his feet only hearing the name of Luna.  
“What happened?” Maria stepped ahead, hands shaking, showing two different sheets of paper, written in an elegant calligraphy.  
“I found these in her room but… Lady Lunafreya… She’s gone.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx discovered the truth about Luna’s sickness and her fate. Encouraged by Gentiana, the young Oracle decided to leave on her own for Altissia, but Nyx and Ravus care too much to let her go without a fight.

The letter for Ravus was long enough to display a considerable amount of reasons to explain Lunafreya’s sudden departure. She was all about fulfilling her duty, doing what she must, sacrificing for Noctis and after the first page it got repetitive. 

The letter addressed to Nyx, on the other hand, was shorter and painful.

"My dearest Nyx, I am truly sorry you had to discover the truth the way you did. I hope you will forgive me one day. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the care you demonstrated guarding me until this very day.  
When my time is at its end, you will probably be my last thought. 

Yours Forever, Lunafreya."

Nyx’s reaction to that message was a messy one. He felt so many things all at once that he didn’t know what to give priority to. Heartache and pain were probably the most prominent because he could swear he felt his insides writhe, but at the same time urgency took over, stimulated by the realization it was no possible to just forget what the Princess meant to him and move on. 

“Maria, tell Demetrio to prepare all the men he can find and awake the chauffeurs.” 

Nyx barely finished to read his letter that Ravus was already entering in action, wearing back his glove and gearing himself up with some arms left in a corner, unnoticed until now. Maria left as ordered.

“What are you going to do?” Ravus – on Nyx’s contrary – answered strangely cold and practical:

“I’ll move a troop near the sea and I’ll block all the exits from the country. It’s literally impossible to simply fly to Altissia without letting me know, so she won’t probably dare to choose that kind of transport. We have to check the minor exits and block her before the dawn.”

“Altissia…” Nyx murmured, an impulsive decision sneaking in his head. “So you want to stop her.”

“I don’t want to stop her. I want to save her. I suspect Gentiana had a hand in Lunafreya’s decision to depart on her own. The Messenger have served as her counsel and acted upon self-serving whims long enough. I know not of her ambitions and lack of proof rang my suspicions hollow.”

Nyx narrowed eyes at that, a memory jumping to his mind. 

“I think I know.” 

Ravus froze, interrupting whatever he was doing and turned toward him. For a moment Nyx could swear he saw question marks in his eyes, so he rushed to continue: 

“That creepy woman said something about Prince Noctis wearing the Ring so he can free other deities trapped inside the crystal. I’m not sure though, it’s not like I can understand her cryptic language.” 

Ravus was so surprised he slowly opened his mouth and stayed motionless for a minute then his eyes gleamed in revelation.

“Bahamut and Ifrit. The most powerful among deities and the traitor. Their disappearance is written in the myths because of one of the most terrifying battles of the ages. The Draconian trapped the Infernian inside the Crystal to stop him from destroying humanity but he himself was trapped as well. The Glacian always held Ifrit in contempt, opposites like heaven and hell, and she… may want revenge because of the betrayal. Unbelievable… I knew this tale since I was a child but I never saw the connection between it and Gentiana’s strange behavior.”

Nyx was confused. “I still don’t get it. Explain.”

“This is my theory: Gentiana is using Lunafreya to awaken the Astrals so when Noctis will wear the Ring, Bahamut and Ifrit will be freed. And then, at the right moment, Gentiana – Shiva – will kill Ifrit with the help of the other deities and have revenge.”

Nyx wasn’t used to mythology and legends as the Fleuret family was and all that sounded like some crazy crap to him. Gods fighting each other, revenge, conspiracies… They were bedtime stories to him, too farfetched and grave to accept as the laws of the universe, but if Lunafreya’s life was on the line, he wasn’t bothered by the idea of diving in a world which wasn’t in his sphere of competence. 

“You mean… Gods are using Lunafreya and Prince Noctis just to have their revenge? Not very god-like.”

“Mercy and cruelty are not beneath the divine. But why did Gentiana disclose this to you?”

Nyx shrugged. “Guess she didn’t expect you and I to talk about it. But let’s go back to the subject: is the story about defeating darkness even true?”

Ravus closes the eyes, forehead furrowed and lips curled in an angry grimace. “Maybe yes, maybe no, but I do not care, the darkness never bothered me as long as I know my sister is safe. And if my deduction is correct, not only her life is in danger, but her ideals will be tested. She will die … for nothing. I cannot stand for this. Anyway, I don’t expect a man running away in the middle of the night to agree with my line of action. So please, step aside and don’t interfere.” 

A man rushed in the room in that very moment, assuming an obedient stance and salute, which Ravus promptly gave him. The commander was now more fervent than before. Understanding the real reasons beyond the surface set him on fire and somehow the same happened to Nyx, too.

The Glaive stood like paralyzed, watching the High Commander doing his job with composed expertise. He suddenly admired him for being able to react even with conflictual feelings and he remembered he must do the same, too. He was the hero of the Kingsglaive after all, and he displayed coolness and rationality even in the worst bloodbaths. Mythology may have had not been his specialty, but battles and rescue missions were, so he could just go back to what he was able to do better now. 

Feeling a familiar zeal invading his own veins with a welcomed and bursting fire, he grabbed Ravus’ shoulder, finding it at his level; there was not a big height difference between them. He stood erect and nodded. “I’ll join you.”

Ravus imperceptibly rolled his eyes and looked at him like he wanted to object something but as he crossed his glance, he smoothened, understanding his determination. “You were ready to desert.” He commented, puzzled.

“I was ready to quit the mission because of personal feelings, but I can’t just abandon the princess if she’s in danger. I’ll leave once I know she’s safe.”

Ravus took a moment to value the sincerity of his grey eyes and appreciated the fire inside them. He never thought he would. “If you stand in my way, I promise you that you shall face the gravity of your actions. Do not make me regret this.” 

Even if Nyx was already gearing himself up with the kukris and the Kingsglaive jacket, he found the time to raise his eyebrows in a mocking expression: “YOU should try to not stand in my way, High Commander. For the record, saving your sister’s royal backside is literally all I did since I met her. I think I can handle it.”

It was rare to find someone with the guts to reply to Ravus that way, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by it. 

“Let us go then.” he said instead, and rushed out of the room with Nyx following him.

——————

Maybe seeing in the Glaive the only person actually able to understand his protectiveness towards Lunafreya, Ravus decided to trust him more than he would normally have, and assigned to him a small group of Tenebraen guards. They were not a lot, just two dozen, but at least they were 100% Tenebraen and not Imperials, loyal to the former Prince and the Oracle.  
Nyx could make a good use of them. He directed larger and smaller troops than that and even if he didn’t know each of them in person to exploit their skills, he would have managed it anyway.  
Ravus decided to check the borderlines and the roads in the nearby, but Nyx didn’t think Luna went that far already. 

Borrowing some motorcycle from the palace’s garages - he couldn’t believe Tenebrae had those advanced technology’s pieces and never used them - he leaded his well geared troop to the parking lot where he and the Princess left their car just two days before. He pulled the brake and skidded on the moil field, quickly taking off his helmet to watch the empty field in front of him. He cursed.

“She took the car…” His murmur mirrored with its tone the complications which that discover implied. 

He tapped twice on his earpiece, a different one from the one he used to have in Insomnia, which putted him in contact with the soldiers involved in the operation.

“Bad news. A blondie is on the wheel.” 

Someone on the line giggled but was quickly cut by a nervous Ravus saying: “How come? She does not possess a drive license.”

Nyx arched his eyebrow, glancing at the green forest around him. “Not that would ever stopped her from trying.” He commented remembering their adventures with vehicles in Insomnia and he would have find it amusing in normal circumstances, but now it just threw his mind in an imaginary scenario where the princess was getting far, diving straight into danger. He just hoped to find her before the sunset, when she could easily be alone against all the daemons of the night. 

He looked at the sky, clouded by a thick wall of fog. There was still time, but it was not the case to underestimate the princess’ stubbornness. He knew that if she didn’t want to be find, it would have been hard to track her down. 

He left his motorcycle for a minute and leaned down, looking for the direction of the prints’ wheels. 

“She knows this land better than anyone else.” Ravus was saying in his ear. 

“Yeah and that’s why she won’t choose an easy get-away. She knows we would look there.” Nyx considered, trying to rush his brain to think of a solution. 

“What then?” Ravus asked, frustrated because he already tried to find her in all the possible escapes. 

“Well, she can’t simply fly away on her own from Tenebrae, she must’ve had help. In a not official way. I can guess she is intentioned to get in touch with the pirates who took us here.”

“You arrived in Tenebrae with the pirates’ help?” A random soldier asked, shocked.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” Ravus commented in a petulant tone.

Nyx smirked. “Sorry, the Empire was kinda pesky and blocked all the common paths. We didn’t have a lot of other choices.”

“Can you please close your mouth?” Ravus replied. ‘Before you instigate a rebellion,’ he probably meant to say, since a lot of other Tenebraeaen soldiers were listening contemporaneously. 

“What I mean is that she doesn’t have a lot of other choices now either. We should try to look her near the sea. But not in the legal ports.”

“Do you know how to get in touch with these pirates?”

Nyx sighed in the vain attempt of hiding a sarcastic smirk. “It’s not like I have them on speed dial, Commander.”

“I thought outlaws knew how to look for each other.”

Nyx shook his head, surprised to find some sense of humor in the former Prince. Anyway, he started to feel pressed because he wanted to find a plan and execute a precise line of action.

For a couple of seconds there was silence and finally a recruit dared to say something:

“Barbaro’s pirates are the only ones who always eluded the Coast Guard. But I heard they dock near the Silentium’s coast from time to time.” Again silence. 

“One day you will explain me why you allowed pirates to perform their illegal affairs if you knew where they dock, but now is not the moment.” Ravus replied, dry and serious.

On the contrary, Nyx turned around and grinned. “Who just spoke?” One man of his group left the motorcycle and stepped ahead, drew a hand to his forehead, a military salute. It was surprising how all those men were ready to consider him a superior from the very first moments they interacted with him.

“Your name?” Nyx asked, getting closer and looking him straight in the eyes to show his urgency. 

“Cato, sir.” For some reasons, that young man reminded Nyx of Pelna. Surely not because of the color of the skin, because this guy was pale as the moon. In any case, the spark in his blue eyes showed a witty attitude typical of his deceased friend in the Kingsglaive. Nyx remembered him with a deep and necessarily short heartache. 

“Cato, how close is the coast you just mentioned?”

“We’re actually close. We will be there in an hour with the motors.”

Nyx nodded, glad to hear that. “You lead then.”

Everybody mounted on his own motorcycle and the sound of the engines filled and ruined the ethereal atmosphere. 

While Nyx was fastening the secure of the helmet, he heard Ravus saying: “We will meet you there.”

 

Nyx grabbed the handle and pushed the accelerator, pointing his determined eyes on a distant destination. “Yeah. We’re gonna find her.”

————

Luna had the biggest troubles driving the car in the forest, mostly because she wasn’t used to it and was scared to hit a tree at some point, which almost happened at least three times. She hated the day Niflheim forbid to her to have a driving license just because she had servants to take her around in case of need and it gave her another reason to miss Nyx.

She reached the cliff, exhausted from her ordeal. She pulled the brake and got off the car with her kneels trembling because of the strong emotions she went through that night. Her breath was heavy, her heart was beating faster than usual, eyes eating every detail of the landscape in front of her. No sun filtered through the thick clouds in the sky and the sea under the cliff where she was standing seemed to scream at every wave crushing on the rocks. Looking at it, she thought how spectral could appear even the most magical and familiar view if the fear gripped her heart. 

She sighed, fingers gently placed on her chest, the Ring of Lucis in her pocket.  
Being used to be strong and determined, she never felt so confused and doubtful at the same time because of her destiny. It was hard to explain that change in her feelings if not with the entrance in her life of the Glaive, the only one who ever dared to question her whole life based on duty with the simple request: 'live your life.’

Ravus also encouraged her to quit her mission, but probably only because he didn’t want to lose the last member of his family and in fact never really offered her a valid alternative. But Nyx… He was different.

Not knowing about the fate that the gods prepared for Luna, he always acted spontaneously for her only sake, he never manipulated her, never took advantage of her. He just wanted her to be happy, and tried to accomplish this in ways he probably wasn’t even aware of. Small things, like the way he gently rubbed her arms when they still were back in Insomnia or when he looked for her hand to receive comfort in the car directed to Lestallum. When he took her to the market and bought her the foulard to protect her from wandering eyes or when he didn’t want her to heal him because he was afraid this would hurt her somehow. When he protected her from the MTs, when he slept in the most ridiculous places just to avoid her the embarrassment of staying in the same room with a man. When he bought her food at the Crow’s Nest or when he tolerated her bad mood. And the last but not the least, when they shared their first kiss on the shore of Galdin’s Quay, his selfless words ran through her head, her lips discovering a new and forbidden pleasure that she didn’t even dare to imagine before, her fingers craving for closeness and heat. And in all this, his gentle eyes. The fire inside them, the intensity of his feelings, the passion in everything he did. There was never a second intent behind his actions or words, his utter sincerity always hit her the most. Thinking about this now, she realized why it was him when it came the time express her secret desires through a dream: between all the people she met in her life, he was the only person – really the only one – who wasn’t connected to conspiracies and subterfuges, who wouldn’t find inappropriate to see the true woman behind the perfect princess façade she always want forced to show, who would always pulled out the best in her by only unconditionally loving her for what she truly was, not who she pretended to be. 

The wind delicately moved her hair, brushing away Nyx’s smile from her mind and throwing her back to reality. A reality she didn’t accept as easily as before anymore and yet, it was a duty still had to be done.

Gentiana materialized behind her, hands joined in front of her, eyes closed. The beauty in her harmonious profile would have revealed to everyone careful enough her divine’s origin. She stood at Luna’s side. “The sun will soon set.”

Luna ignored that casual statement and said instead, “Maybe I shouldn’t have escaped like this.”

“They would not permit you leave, otherwise. They lack the scope of your destiny.”

The corners of Lunafreya’s lips turned down. “Will they be all right?”

Gentiana’s answer was not the one she wanted to hear. “If you are truly prepared to fulfill your destiny, leave them from your thoughts. You cannot take those you care about.” 

Luna nodded with incredible fatigue. She couldn’t tell if her body ached more for the illness consuming her or for the sense of loss she felt abandoning her home, her brother and Nyx.  
The two women started to descend the slope of the cliff, Luna having some more troubles on her heeled sandals. In comparison, Gentiana had no issues, probably helped by some godly powers nobody ever knew about. The weather was not in their favor either, because in that very moment the pale sun was covered by a thick and black cloud, which cast darkness to the rest of the sky, transforming the day in night in a matter of seconds. Luna grabbed a rock before slipping on the moist soil and a soft memory popped up to her mind: it was Nyx slightly mocking her for her uncomfortable and inappropriately elegant outfit in dangerous situations and that made her smile. Her heart warmed a bit, but the cold wind took away also that memory. 

The beach where they arrived was rocky, strands of wild grass sprang out from the clefts, waves crushing on the reef in a noisy sound. There was no way for a ship to dock in that bay, yet Gentiana said that was the place where pirates would have arrived. How the gracious Oracle would have dealt with naughty sailors without a bodyguard, that was something she didn’t want to think about.  
Luna sat on a rock, tiredly watching the dark horizon. When she realized it was a no turning back point, a ship appeared there in the distance, like the depths of shadows summoned it. Luna swallowed, sensing the end closer and closer along with the pirate ship which would have take her to Altissia. 

Gentiana was strangely silent next to her, almost like a statue, concentrated on something in the distance. Luna didn’t think it was weird until she saw her frown and tilt her head to side. “Ah, perhaps you should hide.”

Luna’s heart raced and she immediately stood up, looking around in the hope to sight what the divine messenger already sensed.

“What’s happening?”

The ship was still too far from the bay, so Luna tried to analyze how long would have taken her to pass the meadow and reach the forest in the nearby. Rocks weren’t large enough to offer her refuge and because she was dressed in white as always, being far too evident in the dark bay. 

Gentiana gave her a specific order, like she read her mind. “In the forest”.

Tired as she was because of the sickness and the long journey with the car, Luna didn’t have the strength to investigate more and just started to run towards the forest.  
Her ankles trembled unsteadily on the rocks, but she kept moving. She found herself in the middle of the field when a sudden growing noise started to echo in the sky above, making the earth trembling and moving in a centrifugal spiral. The first sensation was to be again in the middle of an earthquake instigated by Titan himself, but Luna knew better than that. She tried to get steady on the feet, covered her face and finally raised her chin towards the sky, finding at least ten Imperial ships above. Their minacious lights immediately found her and she had to squeeze the eyes, bothered by their invasion. She coughed because of the flying powder and covered her face, initially wondering how could they find her, but then a voice rumbled in the air, reaching her sensitive ears, and flustering her.

“Sister, cease fleeing and remain where you are!”

She turned around trying to locate the location of the voice, mouth wide in surprise. “Ravus…?” 

There was something heartwarming in seeing her own brother moving an entire fleet for her only rescuing, but this didn’t stop Luna from feeling her heart ripped out even more, knowing that not even he could stop her now. 

The smell of gasoline replaced the one of the sea breeze and the sound of the engines covered the one of the waves, and all this happened in a matter of seconds, letting Luna paralyzed and confused about what to do next.

She didn’t have to think about it too much because Tenebraen soldiers and MTs started to rush down on the field, directing in her direction. 

She felt the urge to run but all of a sudden, an ice barrier was brought from the ground, materializing in a indestructible wall so high to create an half-dome. It was shining and powerful, its origin indubitable. Luna turned to see Gentiana as Shiva’s appearance just some steps away, white and sensual, strong and upset. From her glowing hands, a flurry of ice was emanated, attributing her all the power she just displayed. 

“No, Gentiana, please, lower the shield, the airships are too close…!” Lunafreya screamed, but it was already too late: a flying ship disastrously crushed on the ice wall in an overwhelming and somehow terrifying spectacle, leaving Luna crying and shocked. “Lower it now!” she screamed, her heart frenetically counting how many people died in that accident and wondering if her brother was involved too. 

Shiva wasn’t listening at all. 

She kept standing there, her beautiful face illuminated by the explosions behind the shield, yet imperturbable and cold like the element she represented. On the contrary, she only graciously moved the arm to raise another wall around Lunafreya, smaller and thinner but twice as resistant. Luna tooted and reached for the ice around her, which was trapping her in a crystal cage. 

“W-what is this for?” she asked, hoping to be heard even from inside such a soundproofed prison. With her great surprise, she could see and hear even better than before, somehow like the shield worked as an amplifier. 

“Your safety and so I cannot be hindered by outside interference.”

An electric shock almost made her faint hearing those surprising words. Luna knew exactly what was going to happen now, what Gentiana was about to do.

“You can’t!” She screamed again, not accepting to be so powerless inside that crystal prison. She almost broke her hands punching the wall, trying to break the glass. “You are a goddess! Remember the role you swore to fulfill when you gave your blessing to humans!”

“You’re the Oracle, but you know so little about what forces come to play, whose strings are pulled in mankind’s theater. It is for the greater good that my hand is forced to keep you safe from those who impede your progress.”

“By killing them all?”

“I do what I must to protect you.” Shiva answered and stepped ahead. 

Then something happened because she stopped and reeled, eyes squeezed. A spurt of insanity crossed her face as she tried her best to stay steady on her feet and not kneeled. Luna gasped, glimpsing for a familiar figure beyond the goddess. She would have recognized her bodyguard’s unique hair and braids from the distance.

“Nyx!” She screamed, not even understanding if it was out of joy or shock.  
And in that very moment, Nyx pulled out his kukri from Shiva’s shoulder, the blade whizzing in the glacial silence suddenly fell upon all of them. Luna could swear to have seen fire in his eyes, a total different look from the gentle one she was used to. It was somehow terrific and caused her to shiver.

The goddess’ expression was tightly wounded in a grimace, of her unforgiving rage. Silver blood trickled down on her arm, so shiny and beautiful that looked like a graceful ornament instead that the terrible injury it was. She stayed away, breathing deeply. “The wolf has teeth.” She mumbled, regaining strength. Nyx didn’t intend to look down in front of her and, positioning himself for battle, he tightened the jaw. 

“She must not be caged again. I won’t allow it, sorry.” The Glaive swing his kukri in a smug move, not caring to upset her even more. At that point, he knew he couldn’t make it worse anyway and he was ready to lay down everything if it meant saving Luna.

Shiva lifted her good arm, slicing through the air to use her magic. Nyx fell back, buffeted by the blizzard, but he tucked his head and rolled, intending to rise back up. He attacked Shiva right back immediately, ignoring every voice in his head which said that without magic he didn’t stand a chance.

In the meantime, Ravus - alive on his airship but upset by the unexpected godly obstruction - had ordered to attack the huge ice shield which blocked their actions, so missiles noises filled the air very soon, giving the impression of being under a bombing attack. That was a very helpful divisive, because it constantly distracted Shiva.

The chaos erupted all at once.

Powder was everywhere, noises were unclean and deafen, flashes and bombing lights were coloring the sky in red, red like the blood suddenly falling down Nyx’s face. 

And in all this, Luna’s scream surpassed every other noise. She incoherently kept screaming Nyx’s name, punching the frozen cage she was trapped in. She already saw Regis dying while she was blocked by a similar screen and she didn’t plan that to happen again. The palms of her hands started to transpire, her breath was broken, her eyes panicked. 

She started to feel strange. It was like her whole body was accumulating adrenaline and soon it would be ready to burst. Her nerves were contracted, her muscles were tightening. She whispered Nyx’s name once again, but this time she acknowledged what was happening and she feared it. She started to fear herself. She didn’t want to let her feelings go.

But Nyx noticed it anyway. Maybe he saw the expression on her face beyond the glass, maybe - being sensible to the Oracle’s magic - he felt the energy in the air changing, or maybe he just guessed it right by the knowledge he acquired of her in the last weeks. He just knew she was going to explode soon and that was also his only strategy. She was so powerful and she didn’t even know it, but if she wouldn’t help him out, Nyx would be dead in less than two minutes. He needed her and that was true in more than just one sense. 

Anyway, he had to survive in the meantime, which would have been complicated, since he was clearly having an hard time on the battlefield and even though he managed the first moves pretty well, he couldn’t stand a chance against the Glacian, powerless as he was without the King’s magic. Shiva hit him with a wide range blizzaga spell; she was weaker than usual, but still unstoppable.  
When Nyx fell on his back, frozen and in agony, he tried to get up but hardly could move. Shiva stepped ahead, clearly wishing to end him fast so she could go back to what she was doing. She was surprised to see him still alive after her last spell. 

“I spoke my warning once, not to meddle with affairs beyond your understanding. But now i see, the bravest the heart, the more reckless the man. What were you planning to do, militating against the Gods?” Shiva said, her voice still suave despite her evident fatigue.

Nyx writhed as he rolled on his side, jaw clenched. “Whatever. I had to try.”

“Risking your life for nothing?”

Nyx grinned at that, finding the words strangely funny. “The princess is not ‘nothing,’” he replied, smug again. “She’ll give you a piece of advice, you’ll see.”

It was Gentiana’s turn to giggle. 

“Humans barely are pieces on the gods’ chessboards. Powerful maybe, yet commanded by us and us only.”

“Still… She’s the Queen. And you need her to win this game, right, Your Highness? What do you think about giving me a hand with all your powers?” He raised his voice, trying to glance at Luna so she could hear him but he couldn’t, he was not in the right position. 

Shiva sneered, the concept was against her plans. “It will not be so painful for her to lose a mere pawn then” she answered.

“She won’t allow it.” Nyx said, not even doubting it. “I trust her.” 

Shiva didn’t agree. She stretched the good arm to hit him again with one last mortal spell. But Nyx simply grinned again, suddenly noticing something appearing in Shiva’s back, shiny and powerful. 

The Trident of the Oracle.

The expected and blessed help he was waiting for.

“That’s my girl” he had the time to whisper, before forcing himself to ignore the screams of his agonizing body and quickly stand up with a jump, tightening the grip on hilt of his kukri and throwing it against the goddess. Distracted by the sudden movement, Shiva shunned, but didn’t differentiate Luna’s scream from the whistle of the destroying missiles. When she understood that the Oracle was reacting on her Glaive’s defense by letting her white magic explode, Nyx already reached for the trident and skillfully twisted it to stab the goddess right in the chest.

———-

Shiva gasped, mouth open, incredulity on her face. 

For a long minute, Nyx stayed like that, staring at her right in the eyes, feeling the hilt of the trident slightly shaking in his hands. Or maybe it was not the trident, it was him. He was shaking. He just stabbed a goddess and of course felt different from killing a daemon or a MT.  
He watched her losing strength, getting on her knees, her beauty slowly disappearing to leave space for a degrading untidiness. Like a gorgeous snow statue touched by the summer’s sun, her grace started to vanish, her figure started to melt. 

Still, Nyx didn’t back up. He sank the fork even deeper in her chest, being pitiless. The Trident was shining like a firework, a white glow, a total different kind of beauty. That was terrible too, somehow.

Without that weapon, a goddess like the Glacial would have been untouchable. Only the Old Kings’ Armiger could contrast the Astrals and even if Nyx didn’t know exactly about this, he guessed well the magic power beyond the trident. 

“What… did you do? Why are you condemning Eos to… eternal darkness?” Shiva heavily breathed, the end seizing up her body in full force. 

“The future of the world must be great, but we’re not doing it your way. We’ll find another way.”

“You fool… There is no other way.”

Nyx pulled out the Trident from her chest. Shiva gasped again, being those her last breaths and fell on her hands, trying to stop the silver ichor gushing from her wound.

The shield started to fade. It disappeared like a soap bubble, making a delicate sound compared to the one of the bombs around. Ravus immediately noticed the change and ordered to chase the fire, not wanting to hurt Lunafreya or someone of his troupes in the indiscriminate attack. The sea breeze swept away the fumes of the missilery, the sky turned back to its grey color. The overwhelming chaos left place to a strange and utter silence. It was like the whole world was shocked by the unexpected plot twist the history was going to take.

Even the ice shield around Luna fell, revealing her trembling figure, hands on her mouth, numb and open wide eyes staring at Nyx and Shiva. The goddess turned a second to watch her, her shoulders spasmodically moving in her lasts breaths and murmured:

“You… will regret… choosing him.”

Luna couldn’t react at those words, paralyzed by the sudden explosion of her power which leaded them to that point, so Nyx did. 

“She didn’t choose me” the Glaive whispered, sweat and blood running down on his cheek. He didn’t even notice when he got hurt so bad. “She chose her own freedom and happiness.” 

A tear streamed down on Lunafreya’s lips. 

‘That you and Noctis live happily.’ 

And for the first time in forever, what Nyx just said offered hope for herself, too.  
Shiva shook her head, looked down.

“…It will not be so simple.” 

Those were her lasts words before disappearing like extinguished flame of a candle. Heavy words, floating in the air like a curse. 

Nyx let the Trident fall down on the field and finally allowed to himself to take a deep breath. He stared at the point where Shiva was standing until a second before, realizing in the end what he just did. He never thought he would have arrived at this when he joined the Kingsglaive years before and even if he was now feeling strange and bewildered, he knew that his line of action would eventually lead to a drastic change in the whole world, in good or in bad.  
He lifted the face to look for Lunafreya’s eyes. When he succeeded, he found her out of phase, shocked. He pitted her because he could understand. What just happened literally destroyed what she believed in for all her life and the fact that she had been the one choosing it was nothing but a mere palliative. 

He tried to reassure her with a warm smile. He wished to comfort her by taking her in his arms and never letting her go, but he hesitated, knowing they didn’t part on good terms, that he was not deemed worthy for her, that he just killed the goddess who stood by her side her entire life. 

He legitimately feared to be rejected now, for so many reasons, so he stood on his position, just waiting. 

Lunafreya’s reaction surprised him though. The Oracle stepped ahead, slowly reaching the Glaive’s safe arms, merging into his embrace like a refugee seeking shelter. She was shaking, yet she was silent. Seeing her so fragile triggered Nyx’s protection instinct like a hammer hitting the nerves of the knees, it just came out like a spontaneous reflex. He delicately pulled her closer, kissing her forehead. She smelled of fire, sea and grass, or maybe it was his own smell, he couldn’t tell. He just was relieved to have her alive and well in his arms.

“What have… we done?” Luna asked after a few seconds, sinking her fingers in the material on his back.

“Thank you for lending me your magical trident, Princess. It turned out the Glacian was pulling the strings over you. Couldn’t have that. Nobody couldn’t.” 

“How come?”

“It’s a long story.”

“But she was one of the Six.”

Nyx shrugged, even if he wasn’t so composed as he wanted to show. “Only means we have five to go.” 

Luna would have smiled if she had the strength to, but gravitated toward the Glaive, wanting to feel on herself every inch of him, from his neck to his legs. Indulging on that desire - so selfish and so carnal - still costed her strenuous effort too, yet she didn’t want to conceal it anymore. She stood on the tips of her toes and wove her arms around his neck.  
Nyx gladly welcomed the leap and relaxed under her touch, which despite the fervor still was pure, celestial and innocent. His legs buckled because of all the emotions he just went through and he simply decided to let himself fall on his back, right on the field of grass.  
Even then, they didn’t break the embrace.

“I thought I lost you…” Luna whispered in his ear, voice barely audible. “You said you were leaving.”

Nyx pressed his cheek on hers, unfortunately leaving a trace of his own blood on her hair and ear. 

“I… will do whatever you want me to. So long this means it’ll keep you alive and safe. This is not the mission King Regis entrusted to me. This is my choice and nothing will stop me from doing it.”

Luna distanced herself a bit to watch his eyes. The fire inside them retained the sweet, unconditional devotion and she just knew in that very moment that he would have never abandon her again. He never actually did. Her fingers moved to touch his beard, his tattoos, delicately caressing away the dirt from his cheek. She held her breath while she rested her forehead against his. 

They stayed like this for a moment, eyes closed in the simple relief of being reunited again.

Then the chaotic noise of the imperial engines upon them served as a reminder that their problems were far from being solved. 

They killed a goddess. They defied the fulfillment to the most ancient prophecy of Eos. They renounced the bartered blessing of the deities. They decided to start from the very bottom, not having a clue about how managing things except a single one: together they had to find a way to save the future and they had to do it fast before Noctis found himself in irreversible danger caused by their actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my favorite chapter until now! Finally I’m really going canon divergent, finally I have some action, finally Nyx and Luna accept their feelings, finally Gentiana comes out as the “Lady Yunalesca” she has always been to me and something epic happen :) I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter as much as I did! Thanks as always to @loveiscosmicsin <3<3<3


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Defending each other took Nyx and Luna to a shocking plot twist and now Shiva is dead because of them. How will the future be safe now that one of the Six was killed because of the Oracle’s Trident? And how will Luna and Nyx accept their feelings and face it all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m preparing things for the ending already. I am “almost” sure by now that this fic will be 17 chapters long (maybe 18) and ... I’m actually proud of Luna’s and Nyx’s journey. And also about plot consistency. I hope you guys like it as well. I change the rate for this chapter, because it’s going a bit more ‘mature’, but don’t worry, it’s never going to be explicit xD thanks to: @loveiscosmicsin <3

To be honest, neither Luna nor Nyx could say that killing the Glacian was exactly the best choice of action. Surely there were other ways to prove themselves worthy of carrying the weight of the world. It wasn’t what they planned all along either. It was just something that occured as a consequence of choice.

So when they realized the gravity of where their actions led them, an obvious sentiment of uncertainty grew within them, mingled with a growing fear of letting down people who were counting on them. How would they have guarantee a future to the world now that the only option they knew as guarantee had vanished? 

They had doomed Eos, once for all. Maybe there was no alternative, exactly like Shiva affirmed.In spite of this, in the deepest of their hearts, they didn’t regret it.

When Nyx plunged the Trident in Shiva’s bleeding chest and the goddess’ spirit started to fade into the air like the fumes of a warm breath in a cold night, Luna felt the lethal grip the gods wielded on her waver.

And in that moment, Luna knew it for certain: she had been slave of a destiny, the divine dictated the path and her fate was sealed in stone. Even if she had always suspected it, she never thought the weight of it would have been so…wrong. It never felt wrong until until Nyx opened her eyes by daring the unimaginable.

Luna looked at the Glaive, covered in dirt and blood, jawline clenchedtightly, and thedisgruntled crease on his forehead she was too familiar with now. The night when they first talked, under the fireworks of the eve of the treatise, he looked handsome and a bit mysterious, totally different. At that time, he seemed just a serious soldier who needed to be teased a bit, someone good only for an interesting talk during a dull reception. She would have never thought they would grow so close. She would have never expected to be him the one who set her free from cruel fate’s strings. 

And now, invigorated and empowered by the surging power emanating from the Glaive, Luna raised her chin and watched imperial airshipsdescend and the hatches flew open. She knew that she must keep calm for whatever came to pass.

And she knew also that she had what it took.

When Nyx helped her to get on one, they found a bunch of Tenebraen soldiers with mouths wide opened and shocked expressions on their faces. Tenebraens people were known for their religiosity and they must have been outraged in seeing their dear Oracle rebeling and killing Shiva - the Goddess they worshipped the most. They all sensed something huge just happened and nobody of them was already able to figuring out what side should they be on.

Nyx and Luna understood their confusion, it was obvious. Actually they were confused as well. However, they kept up a straight face as they walked along the human corridor in the cargo area. 

Luna showed a slight sign of hesitation when she turned around to check if Nyx was still close, but after that she raised her shoulders and displayed her famed confidence, figuring she had to show some determination in order to reassure everyone that things being under control.

Ravus came out from headquarters, running towards them stunned beyond belief.

“You two…!” He said, actually addressing to Luna only. He rested the hands on her shoulders and pored into her eyes, not able to ask about her welfare, but clearly worried about it.

“I’m fine.” She whispered, enjoying the warmth of his caress, such a rare gesture of affection coming from him. It was like taking a stand against the Gods was a step in towards restoring her relationship with her brother.

“Gentiana aimed to avenge. She wanted to use you to wake all the Astrals to rouse the Infernian out of the Crystal and finally execute him. No matter how grave the traitor’s punishment was, it must not be at your expense.”

Luna immediately fit her brother’s words in the larger picture and understood the gist of what he was trying to say. 

“What if the Darkness intensifies because of my choices? What will Noctis do without the deities’ blessing?” She whispered to the nobody in particular.

Ravus heard it anyway and squeezed her shoulder. “If he’s the True King, he will find a solution. We all will. In the meantime you should have some rest, the signs of your fatigue won’t disappear only because you killed the Glacian.” 

Luna swallowed and nodded. “Just tell me one more thing. This is what you were planning when you entrusted Gentiana to give me back the Trident? You wanted me to use it to kill her, knowing it was the only efficient weapon against her?”

Seeing her sister alive and ready to finally take care of herself, Ravus sighed in relief and shook his head. “You overestimate my shrewdness, sister. Giving you back the Trident was just a way for me to stop forcing you to obey to my decisions, a way to give up on hope. I spent too many years trying to protect you by whatI thought it was right. I never understood that the choice was actually yours to make. You willingly undermined my authority despite my best efforts.” The humility in his tone surprised not only Luna, but the High Commander himself. He sounded proud of his sister. He was never accustomed to expressing his feelings openly and even if he didn’t like admit when he was mistaken, knew he couldn’t stay still. “Your alarm is understandable, I cannot fanthom it myself, but this man got it instead.” He said, pointing at Nyx. 

The Glaive distanced himself. He didn’t want the merit of anything because he did nothing more than believe in Luna and unconditionally loving her, which never felt like a decision but more a involuntary instinct. So he just hid himself in a bow, kneeling down like he always did when he was in front of Regis. Because now he was in front of his queen.  
Luna turned to watch Nyx in that humble position and felt her heart cracking down in pieces. She didn’t want him to kneel after all he had done for her own sake but in the moment she tried to say something, all the other Tenebraen soldiers on the airship kneeled down in the same way, one after another, in reverant silence.  
The Oracle stayed still, mouth open, touched by that intimate devotion -- the most powerful act of support she ever received.

“Come what may, you’re not alone in this. After all you did for people, they care for you and will support you no matter what, wishing only for your happiness.” Nyx said, the image of the perfect soldier on his face, the zealous ardor in his eyes. He spoke for all but nobody blamed him for that, on the contrary. He didn’t even finish to speak that a soldier in the back screamed out loud: 

“Long live the Oracle!” 

“Long live the Queen!”

Luna closed fists, tears welled in her eyes, touched by the newest of all feelings in her heart: the one telling her that for the first time in her life, she wasn’t alone.  
This time she wasn’t supporting others in their decisions, she was supported in her own.  
Ravus - strangely enough - almost smiled when he delicately pushed his sister to the headquarters, barking this simple order to the left soldiers:

“Back to the palace.”

While the princess was taken away, she turned to check if her bodyguard was coming too, but he wasn’t. The glaive stayed back with the rest of the troop, controlling every soldier one by one to see if they were ok. 

“Nyx?” she asked. 

“He will catch up later, once his duty is done and his wounds treated.”

“I can heal him.”

Ravus expressed his disbelief in a bemused grunt. “Do you think he will allow it?” 

But Luna had to say something to him first at least. She turned around and called his name. Nyx raised his chin and his radiant grey eyes met hers. There was so much love in both of their glances, they didn’t really need to say more.

“Look for me as soon as you are able, would you?” 

Nyx pressed his lips together and nodded. Luna smiled, noticing how sweet could be even his most serious expression. Then Ravus pulled her away, bringing her out of sight.

 

\------------

 

It took a lot to Nyx to perform all the military procedures Ravus nonchalantly left to him. The Glaive - being a mere soldier of a besiged kingdom - didn’t actually have any obligation towards the Tenebraen troops under the imperial control, yet he was permitted to regroup the soldiers, assign medical staff to tend to the wounded and given the confusion revolving the death of the Glacian, there were little complaints about his orders. Also, handling the daemons was something easier said than done. That took all night and all morning, in which he didn’t take a single moment to rest. 

When noon arrived, he left all the responsibility to the first officer who looked at least vaguely able to handle the situation and sneaked away. He saw enough blood and was in fact still covered in his and that of the Glacian’s, therefore he only wished to finally take a shower and catch some shut eye. He informed Ravus about it via earpiece device and the answer he got was:

“Oh, is that so? Your participation on the battlefield must have slipped my mind. You are dismissed.”

Nyx didn’t believe for a second Ravus could forget about having three-fourths of his troops under an immigrant’s command back in the spot where the goddess was killed and so he understood that the High Commander was probably taking a little revenge on him to admiting of kissing his sister.

That crazy, witty bastard. 

Smiling at the absurdity of the situation, Nyx found a ride back to the palace where he avoided all the servants and reached his room without being noticed.  
He wanted to see Luna so badly, he missed her even if he saw her just the evening before, but he really had to clean up and sleep before, otherwise he would have faint pretty soon.

The fight against Shiva left him with a broken rib and multiple bruises, and her silver blood left his skin raw and swirled down the drain.

He fell in a deep slumber even before the pillow.

 

\----------------------

 

Luna waited for him since the very first moment she found herself alone in her rooms. She had plenty of subjects to talk about in her mind, but in the end, Nyx was the only one she wanted to focus on. Maybe because she couldn’t think about facing any of those subjects without her bodyguard by now.

The nights were growing longer and the days shorter. After being being excessively coddled and chastised by Maria for the morning, Luna asked to be left alone. The Oracle looked to the stars above as she waited for her Glaive, lost in the bittersweet memories of her childhood when those stars were all she had to avoid boredom. 

She was on the balcony, hands joined together when he arrived. 

Hidden by floating white curtains, Nyx stared at her for a long minute before entering in her private sphere. He was just enchanted by the profile of her body illuminated by the moon, he could watch her the entire night. He admired the light sweater wrapping around her waist, the skirt brought out the beauty of her hips, making him swallow because of the way she was poetically and involuntary sensual with little effort. He smelled the perfume of her in the wind and when he felt that short distance becoming too painful, finally decided to get closer.

“The door was open.” He said, clearing his throat.Luna boggled and turned around, in time to see Nyx smirking, “I hope it was because of me.”

That look. So pure and so malicious at the same time. He would have been the death of her but Luna’s eyes softened as she took in his powerful and cleaner visage, words of what she wished to say were lost to the wind.

“Nyx…” 

“Were you praying?”

Luna entwined her fingers and lowered her gaze.“What would be the point? Who would listen now? The Gods?” She whispered such a statement with the most delicate voice and Nyx couldn’t help but smiling because of the paradox. “They must be frightened that their Chosen Oracle have disobeyed them.”

“Yeah. They’ll be right to be. Scared.”

“I am, too. Something strange is happening to me. I can’t hear their voice anymore, the grip they had on my heart had abated.”

“Good news...?”

Luna sighed.“My destiny may have been cruel but it provided a guide to adhere to. It’s harder to deal with uncertainty. I do not know what would become of the future.”

“At least you’re not alone this time, Princess.”

Lunafreya raised her chin again, taking a deep breath as she attemptedto read his expression.

“Still I wonder what will be our next move. If all this will end with the my death and the death of those I care about.”

Nyx went back to a very serious mood, triggered by the sadness in her voice. “Regrets, Your Highness?”

She shook her head. “No. We did what we had to. Besides, I am… more than aware about Gentiana’s manipulation. My only issue is that Darkness will soon conquer this world and deities were the only ones offering us hope with their prophecies and omens. Now that they are proven to be a curse and not a blessing, where do I stand now? I still am the Oracle, I am the one who has to find an alternative path. I have to inspire hope to others. My duty goes on.”

Nyx could understand what she meant. “So does mine.”

Luna watched him for a second, feeling inside her so many things she wanted to say, apologies she wanted to offer, explanations she wanted to give. But in the end, nothing came out and she figured her pride was more consistent than she initially thought.  
She turned around, resting her hands on the railing. 

“I … think I have to set off for Altissia anyway. The Hydraean lies there, in the depths of the waters, ready to be awakened. Noctis awaits me there. I don’t know what I will have to do in order to defeat Darkness, but whatever it is, it places me at great risk. Will you truly come with me despite this?”

The Glaive’s mouth quirked in a smile. “Damn your suicidal instincts. Keeping you alive was extremely hard since the day I met you.” Nyx murmured, frustrated in seeing that his personal battle against her stubbornness still wasn’t won. He opened his arms. “Is it that wrong not wanting to give you up to nothing in the world, not even to gods?” That sentence broke her, because there was bitterness and sadness in it.

“Nyx…” Her head was half-turned around, her eyelids closed.

“Maybe it is then. But even so, you must know by now I would follow you anywhere.”

Nyx courageously stepped ahead on the prestigious marble of the terrace and delicately caressed her arm, from the elbow to the wrist, the lightest feather touch, sending shivers down her spine. Luna craved for his touch since they parted before but now gasped, somehow taken by surprise. She turned around, founding him closer than she thought. His eyes immediately clutched hers, his arms slipped around her waist, closing thedistance between them. “You knew that, didn’t you?” He asked, letting the fingers of his free hand rest on her chin, promptly lifting it up when she tried to escape to that moment of truth. “Just… Look at me.”

Luna did and she understood why she didn’t want to. His eyes had the strangest effect on her, they pore deep into her soul with a single glance. They were small, witty, passionate, beautiful, so beautiful. Once she was ensnared, she just wasn’t able to take her own eyes off him anymore. “Tell me, is it the same for you?” 

They stared for a long minute, holding each other like it was their last moment but she couldn’t answer. She pressed her finger in his biceps though, getting up on her toes, not caring if the weight of her body was entirely on him. She wanted to be kissed so badly she felt that desire like a basic instinct need. She leaned in for it.  
But suddenly, Nyx snorted and back up.

“You’re still not ready.” He said, turning his back to her and heading himself towards the sofa.He left her there, mouth open, flushed and starry-eyed. 

“W-what?”

“I understand that you spent all your life being manipulated for one reason or another and you learned how to deal with them in your own way.You’re smart, avoiding to answer if it wasn’t convenient to you, you let them think what they wanted to. But I am not asking you to be honest only for me, Your Highness. You could start being more honest with yourself.” He sat on the sofa, palms up, resigned expression on her face. “If you really need me or at least want me, you need to say it out loud. It’ll give you some peace of mind. And yeah, I need it, too. I need to know if you really care, because I am perfectly aware that I’m a simple immigrant with no title and no right to be around you, but I killed a goddess for you and I would do it again to save you. This is only a hint of how far my stupid devotion can come to, Princess. You can take advantage of me again, if you want to. But please, please…” His voice cracked and he had to close his eyes, joining fists in front of his nose. “Please, just be honest about it and tell me. Are you really using me for your own pleasure or there is something else?” 

Luna’s eyes colored of the shades of pain seeing him struggling in finding the right words to let her understand how hard all this was for him. The Glaive has always been sincere with her but she rarely was with him. Yet, he always supported her anyway. Even when he found out he was deceived. Even if he didn’t agree with anything she was doing.  
She sprinted ahead, stopping by the sofa, sitting next to him in her usual shy position. The way she entwined her fingers made her look like she was praying again:

“Nyx, I am so sorry for…” She didn’t know where to start, there were so many things she wanted to apologize for. “For what I put you through.” Then she stopped a long minute, thinking about how to go on.

Nyx craved for her continuation and wasn’t bothered by the waiting. He used that time to contemplate how beautiful she was in the light of the candles and to enjoy the painful spell she cast on his heart, which made him loving her so much.

“And thank you. Because of you, I started to understand how I had lived my life. I cannot conceal my feelings about you... And I do not want to dismiss what we have.” She lifted her eyes, watching his face being surprised by those words. “I still have to figure out my future, Nyx, and I know that my choices will influence the state of our world. How I live my life from now on may not be to your liking, but it will be of my choice. Even so, I wish… This may be egoistic and foolish but I personally wish for you to stay with me, until the end, wherever the end is.” The first strands of pain started to leave Nyx’s heart, but still it wasn’t enough. Luna took a deep breath before talking again and when she did her words came out broken by the big tears wetting her eyes, tears she didn’t even notice until they rolled down her cheeks. “Not because intimacy is a convenient desire, it’s because I care. I stupidly, utterly, madly care for you. When you told me you’d leave me, I fell apart like a broken glass and when you came back…” 

Nyx grabbed her cheeks with both hands and kissed her lips to silence her, he heard exactly all he wanted to hear. There was no need to color it up with more sentences, the basic gist of emotions were enough and understandable. 

He didn’t kiss her like he already did twice, being simply loving and warm. He was thirsty this time, slowly burned by the last days of devastating and chaotic twists and he needed to feel her on his own body, every fiber touching him. He was the one looking for a long yearned intimacy, his cells in a mutiny against his brain and logic. He handled this like the growing up man he was, forgetting for a second that she still was untouched and his mature kisses we’re something she couldn’t be prepared for. Even so, Luna trusted him. She stood like paralyzed, hands on his forearms, lips parted by his tongue, ready to accept whatever he would do to her, because she clearly lost control of herself everytime they touched. He opened his mouth and licked her lips, bit them, savoring the flavor of her tears, which even if they were salty, tasted sweet.That moved a knot in his stomach and he took a breath, choosing the sweetest moment to wipe away her tears with his beard. A new emotion replaced the pain in both of their hearts. Finally they were physically and emotionally touching each other like they both craved for and this calmed their ached spirits, sore by all the hidden truths and wrong words. 

Cheek to cheek, they pulled closer, Nyx grabbing her knee around his waist, Luna passing her arms around his strong neck, sinking her face in his hair and braids. He smelled like the forest but was warm like the fire burning it and she wished never abandoning that safe shelter. She would have gladly spent the rest of her life in that position if she needed to, now more than ever. 

“It’s fine. I’m your man until the end.” Nyx whispered in her ear, goosebumps appeared on her arms and neck. Luna rubbed her cheek on his shoulder, felt the muscles of his back stiffen under her touch and knew it was true: he belonged to her, like nobody ever did.  
She shrieked back a bit to watch him in the eyes, while her hand was searching for his. When she found it, she placed it on her hip, not answering when Nyx inquisitively look at her with incredulity. 

“You… know what are you encouraging me to do, right?” He whispered. She kept staring at his lips, caressing his wrists with the most exquisite softness. She was so gorgeous, Nyx couldn’t believe he was actually hesitating in doing what he had the possibility to do.

Nyx wanted her. He wanted her so badly, especially now, with her walls down, with her heart bared only for him. 

He bent down, taking her lips in his, breathing her breath like it was the last and smelling her delicate rose perfume. He let his fingers greedily explore her hips, squeezing and caressing until they reached the hem of her white and thin sweater. There they stopped to lift it up and quickly slipping under, touching the skin beyond.  
He didn’t notice immediately. He first thought it was just a normal scar caused by their recent adventures, but the more his hands explored her lower back the more he realized something was off. He shrieked back, moving her a bit so her stomach was finally under the candlelight.

Luna immediately gasped and tried to pull down the sweater, but it was too late. This time, Nyx saw it clearly. He saw the dark spirals on her womb, covering her skin from the abdomen to her hips and even lower, and there was no way to hide them anymore. She raised her eyes up to the ceiling, biting her lip in the attempt to stifle invasive sniffles. And in the meantime, the Glaive kept staring at the black scars like he was hypnotized. He gently feather touched them, trying to line the pieces of the puzzle up. 

“What are these?” He asked after one long minute of contemplation, when the utter silence had become unbearable. Luna swallowed and passed her long fingers on her eyelashes, wiping away her own tears. 

“The price of the covenant…” She whispered, cheeks burning red with the shame investing her. “The price I already paid to gods.” Nyx stared at her, attentive. He didn’t push her to continue but he was clearly waiting for her to say more. “I’m so sorry, Nyx. My heart may be yours now but my body… still bears the wounds of this illness.”

He understood. 

He wouldn’t allow her to feel sorry for all she did in the vain, and yet brave attempt of saving the world.

Taking her wet fingers away from her face, he kissed them one by one, determined to worship both the selfless Oracle and the human woman beyond it and he took his time for that. 

He moved a lock of hair away from her cheek and then let his hand down on the shoulder, gently pushing her on the sofa until she was lying under him.  
Luna forgot how to breathe as she watched him leaning down on her, brushing his beard and lips on the bare skin of her abdomen. She tried to protest at his ticklish gesture, but she renounced immediately when he pressed her hips on the soft material of the sofa, big hands covering her tended muscles, sending vibes of pleasure upon her spine.  
Empty mind, she couldn’t do anything but arching her back to facilitate him during the process. Nyx stopped at her navel, kissing every spiral on her stomach with intense care, a soft gentleness unusual to find in a man who used his mouth with such fierceness and tenancity in the face of danger.

Though he could have simply go on in the exploration of her body, indulging on the desire echoing in his veins, he opted to go back to her lips.  
In the end, there were more important things than the mere satisfaction of his manly desires. The day for that would have come, but it was not now.

“You’re so beautiful” he whispered instead, straight to her ear, in the most tender leap of love he could show. 

By truly believing it, he magically swept away the Princess’ deepest fears and healed the bruises on her heart.

 

\---------------------

 

Nyx’s chest was made for Luna to sleep. That’s what they both thought when they decided to not separate and just spent the whole night on the sofa of the Princess’ chamber.  
They napped a bit, then they woke up, taking all the time they needed to enjoy the long craved - and almost always forbidden - proximity. Nyx actually passed a good portion of the time asking himself why they had to sleep there when they had a huge and soft bed just in front of them but seeing Luna getting so much comfortable in his arms, cuddled and safe, he didn’t dare to say anything. Maybe he didn’t want to wake her up, or maybe he didn’t want to have her more distant than that. 

“In Altissia, my call will be fulfilled. I still don’t know how, but it will. Will you take me there?”

When Luna whispered such a out-of-the-blue sentence, she was resting supine, head on his right bicep, fingers playing with his left hand. They lost the track of time, but it was probably past midnight and all the candles were off. Only the moon shined on their relaxed profiles.

“Are you saying this because you thought I was sleeping or it this a serious question?”

Luna smiled in the darkness, stopped caressing the palm of his hand. “It was supposed to be serious.”

Nyx kissed her hair, smelling the perfume he found himself addicted to. “I told you I was going to follow you everywhere.”

“Even if it meant watching me die?”

“That’s… Not gonna happen.” 

“You must understand that saving Eos at the cost of my life was and still is my priority and my choice, Nyx.” He smiled, not surprised by her strong tone of voice now. She was so layered and complex, she was able to switch from the human and accommodating person she was to the most determined lass he ever met in a matter of minutes. 

“Yeah, you said that a thousand of times already. I’m not questioning your right to do what you want with your body, Princess. I know better than that. But are you ready to see me die trying to save you as well? Don’t think for a second that I won’t hesitate there.”

Luna understood his point of view. Like her, he was ready to die for what he cherished the most. Luna shook her head, amazed. “Well said, you earned this victory. You are far more stubborn than I.”

He smiled, raising her hand and pressing it against his lips. There was no way for him to get enough of kissing her in every possible way.“Let me say it was not an easy victory.”

“Maybe Noctis will come up with a brighter idea.”

Even if Nyx didn’t like much the Prince’s name coming out in their moments of intimacy, he nodded.“I hope so. Saving his back is one of my priorities too.”

After two minutes of thinking, Nyx pointed at the mannequin in the other side of the room, with the wedding dress on it. “In case of success, are you going to use it for the prince?”  
Luna was surprised to hear him asking about Noctis because it rarely happened before that moment. She had herself to blame for bringing him up in the first place. But Nyx wanted to know, because he could figure by all the hints he got that the Prince was extremely important to Luna and he really wished he didn’t have to consider him a rival because it wouldn’t have end well for him in any case.

“I highly doubt it. For more reasons than just one and you would be surprised in not being in the top three.”

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow, protected by the darkness of the room.

“My dear Noctis … I always cared deeply for him, but I didn’t accept to marry him because of a particular affection. It simply was one of the terms of a treaty that i knew it would fail.”

“What if it didn’t fail? What if you really had to marry him?”Luna didn’t seem too bothered by the idea.

“In that case, there was my sickness. Starting to awake the gods, I would have died before the wedding or during the honeymoon. And even if I did see myself as a married woman… it would have been a terrible marriage for a King in need of heirs because I … Cannot bear children.” She pointed at her womb, the saddest expression on her face. “Because of the price I paid to the gods… It is impossible.”

Nyx smoothened, swallowing at the sight of her melancholia. He caressed her cheek with the thumb.

“I’m so sorry, Lunafreya.”

She faked a smile. “It’s fine, I was probably never made for marriage anyway.”

But Nyx knew she was lying. A girl who didn’t wish to get married wouldn’t have chosen a wedding dress with such a deep care and put it on a mannequin in the center of the room.  
Nyx turned on his side, kissing the corners of her lips, caressing the womb she was incriminating of stealing the joy from her future. 

He didn’t have the right words to help her out in such a delicate subject, he didn’t have empty promises to make, but as their breaths mingled, they didn’t feel the need to explain any further. 

They curled up in each other again and fell in a tender sleep, trying to forget for now the menace hanging on them, now throwing shades on the intimacy they just found.

“Tomorrow we’ll set off for Altissia.”

 

\---------------------

 

Waking up at Luna’s side wasn’t as comfortable as Nyx hoped. She clung to him like a second skin and having so little space on the sofa she literally didn’t let him move all along. His legs were asleep and almost hurt, his ribs still ached because of the battles of the days before and the muscles of his neck knocked in pain as he tried to raise his chin.

But what was a fault quickly turned into a quality when Nyx looked at the bright side of it: yes, Luna was clingy. This meant he woke up with her body sticked to his, her legs entwined in his, her beautiful chest pressed against his. The grimace of pain turned into one of inner joy and pleasure in a blink of a eye. 

He sank his nose in her hair and breathed deeply, pulling her even closer with the only free arm he had. He lingered on a lot of thoughts, without stopping on one in particular. He thought about all the crazy events of the last days which lead them there, about what was in store for them in the future, about what would have Ravus thought if he entered in the room in that very moment.

Luna woke up later. Nyx noticed by the change of pace in her breathing. 

“Morning,” he whispered in her ear and in the attempt of indulging in her drowsiness she got even more clingy. Nyx moaned. “I can get used to this.” 

Luna smiled, her arms wrapped around his large chest. “You’re still here.” She said it like it was a surprise and this somehow hurt him.

“Told you.”

For Luna, there was no better feeling of being certain of his. She cuddled in the sensation for long minutes, taking her time to acknowledge the statement, to become aware of not being alone against the world anymore. 

Unfortunately, they couldn’t take a day off just to cuddle. In the end they had to leave the sofa to face the reality again.

Luna got mad when she noticed that Nyx didn’t tell her about her broken ribs and she healed him immediately, ignoring his protests which sounded something like: “If it’s because of your hugs, I will bear the pain.” Such a sentence almost led to Nyx having another broken rib, which was promptly healed anyway. 

When Luna decided to have a shower, Nyx thought it was the right moment to leave the bedroom, not of course before stealing another kiss from her gentle lips.

“I’m just so glad I killed a deity for you.” He whispered, delicately caressing her neck in adoration.

“Who would have knew, back at the time when Regis chose you as my personal guard.” 

“Oh, I kinda knew you were trouble before even meeting you.” He smirked.

“Really?”

He loved her voice being so playful and teasing. It made him bite his down lip.  
He remembered pretty well the days before the signing of the treaty, all the turmoil surrounding the event and more specifically the Princess’ arrival. The dramatic change was in the air, nobody could deny it. It was like they all knew tragedy would have strike on them soon… But Nyx didn’t want to talk about that now, it only brought up terrible memories, so he simply said:

“See you later.”

He could swear his heart melt when she glanced at him with those big blues, sad of seeing him go. When did he got so lucky that the most beautiful creature on earth was missing him already? 

He opened the door to exit and closed it behind him, still smiling for the pure bliss. When he raised his chin, the terrible sight of a shocked and upset brother was waiting for him.

Nyx let his smirk fall down off his face immediately.

“That’s totally not what you think it is.” He tried to say in his defense, raising both hands in the air. Ravus was deathly still when he affirmed:

“You wouldn’t be the first man I’d kill when I hear a line like that.” It didn’t sound like a lie, but surely was arrogant. “And like them, nobody would care of their fate.”

“Nice to know, but sorry for bringing you down. I’ve seen worse than you and anyway, it’s not this the point. I just did not …!”

“Nyx!” 

Luna’s voice screamed from inside the room, alarming both bodyguard and brother. The two of them immediately let go their small argument and rushed in the chamber, slamming the door open. 

They somehow expected the worse but found Luna in front of the mirror, with the sweater rolled up, her stomach under the morning light filtering through the crystal windows.  
The girl turned around, not ashamed anymore to show what was on her skin, big eyes touched by a surprising emotion of joy. 

“Lunafreya! Pull down that sweater immediately!” Ravus ordered but his sister ignored him and pointed at her womb. 

Nyx nor Ravus understood what was the cause of such an excitement so they both stand still, looking at her in an inquisitive way.

“It’s healing!” she explained, too agitated to not scream.

“Is it… ?” Nyx asked, tilting his head to observe more attentively. The spirals on her abdomen were still black like a tattoo, somehow extremely gracious on her white skin. “It looks the same of yesterday to me.”

“The same of yesterday? What yesterday?” Ravus’s voice increased and got high, sounding like a doublet. His expression would be consider hilarious from a stranger point of view but Nyx only rolled his eyes and raised a hand. 

“Once again: not what you think and not the right moment either.” 

“I memorized every single scar and I know for certain.” Luna continued again, decided to not give credit to their markings, “A part of these disappeared during the night! See here?” She showed a particular point on her hip, causing a dramatic sigh from Ravus, who seemed more worried for his sister’s decency than for her illness. “There was a spiral here and now is not there anymore.”

Nyx couldn’t tell because he only acknowledged those scars’ existence the night before, so he watched in silence and then spent more time in considering the possible meaning of such a miraculous healing. He scratched his beard, sure that he wasn’t quite able to put his fingers on something. He had to make some more questions.

“Princess, you didn’t personally wake up Shiva, right?”

Luna turned to watch him, puzzled by his curiosity. She shook her head. “And the other two … What’s their name … Bahamut and Ifrit. They are awake too, prisoners of the Crystal?”

“Yes, it is so.” By getting those answers, the Glaive understood he was getting close to the right solution.

“It can’t be the awakening of the Gods itself the thing that brings this disease on you then. I mean, you only woke up two gods until now. Two of six. Why should you be so sick already and die? The proportion doesn’t correspond.”

Luna frowned. The men could almost see the wheels rotating in her head. 

“That is… what Gentiana always told me: the energy I spend for waking up the deities would have leave me a husk of my former self, granting me this illness.”

“Of course she told you that.” Ravus frowned too, but not in confusion, “That would be the perfect excuse to justify something else.”

“Something what?”

Nyx and Ravus looked at each other for some reason, trying to figure a possible answer. 

“Probably the Gods are stealing your energy on daily basis for their selfish purposes.”

“Or her magic” Nyx hypothesized, certain of getting closer and closer. “After all, her magic is so powerful she was able to kill one of them when no other weapon could have.”  
Ravus nodded, the rarest smile on his lips. He didn’t know hope since far too long so he let the feel overwhelm him. 

“Yes. Sucking her white magic away, they get stronger and she gets sicker and sicker. So it’s not the ritual of the awakening. It’s not the covenants. It’s THEM. They are destroying her every day.” His expression turned sharp again. “We have to kill them. Find them, wherever they are, in the Crystal, by Noctis’ side, still sleeping, it doesn’t matter. We have to kill them all.”

Luna wide opened her eyes, staring at her brother in shock.

“Like I asked you yesterday, how could we do something like this? We need them for Noctis to defeat the darkness, I don’t think we –” Ravus made a weird sound, similar to a laughter, but not funny at all.

“Really? Do you think we really need them? You know better than me that the darkness of the prophecy it’s not a matter of the gods. It’s a Lucian King’s affair. They deceived you all along, telling you they were indispensable when their blessing is merely a small help.”

Nyx listened to Ravus’ words very carefully and moved his attentive eyes to Luna, taking note how hurt she was in realizing that the prayers she offered all her life were addressed to ambiguous creatures which in substance didn’t care for humanity at all. He could barely understand how hard it was for her to have suffered so long for a lie’s sake. Lunafreya Nox Fleuret was the youngest Oracle, the intermediary between the humans and the gods and of course she felt guilty for participating in all this, being almost like a partner in crime with the deities.

Nyx watched her now and waited for her reaction. He didn’t want to plan a line of action, it had to come from her. Every decision she would have taken, he would have followed. 

And Luna decided.

Because she was the former Princess of Tenebrae, ready to be queen.  
Clenching her teeth, she raised the chin, those beautiful eyes of her burning like a blue fire. 

“I have to talk with Noctis. This is something that concerns him as well, not only me. I’ll go to Altissia to meet him.” She lowered her tone, murmuring with narrowed lips: “Even if I don’t want to die, i would have gladly to it to save the world. But now, if taking gods down will facilitate the darkness’ defeat, I will have no problems in personally slit the Draconian’s throat and stand by Noctis side in front of the Usurper.”

The inner bodyguard inside Nyx, worried only about his Princess’ safety, internally screamed in seeing her ready to throw herself in danger once again. But Nyx himself, the man who lost his mind over that reckless girl, couldn’t be more proud of her.

He slightly bowed, trying to hide a smile.

Ravus also nodded, lips stretched and grudge up.

“My men will give you a safe ride to Altissia. I have a specific person in mind, the only one who can do me this favor without involving the Empire or inform it. Let me have it my way, is that clear?” he ordered. He was a High Commander after all and even he wanted to respect his sister’s will, he had to try to keep the situation under his control.  
But it was fine, as long they would have arrived to Altissia, where their destinies would have been settled.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altissia: the final destination of their journey is in front of them. Here their fate will be decided, but before this they have some other things to settle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I beg your pardon for the horrible delay! It has been a month, I know. Sorry. I have to thank the sweet @culinarytonberry for coming to help me with the correction of this chapter, your help was quick and very appreciated!
> 
> Chapter 13 is the last ‘transition’ chapter, so starting from the next one prepare yourself for an intense escaltion of drama and action XD Right now I’m done with chapter 15 too, I just need some more time to fix all this together with my beta readers. The final is gonna be huge, I promise.Or at least, I hope. Your support is the best. I just have no words to say how thankful I am for all the nice messages I got on this fic.

For some reason, Luna and Nyx expected a completely different answer from Ravus about sending someone to accompany them to Altissia. They were ready to bet he picked some submissive and docile official, who would spy on them, keeping them under control. Yet, a surprise awaited them. The next morning, when they stepped in the hall of the palace ready to leave, only a small luggage with them, a comely woman dressed in black armor and leather trousers clicked her heels against the marble. 

“Well, nice to see your ready ahead of schedule. The High Commander isn't gonna pass me an extra gil if I work more than expected, and this girl isn't known for being patient, let alone working for free. C’mon let’s get going already.” She came under the light, swainging her hips like she owned the city. Luna found herself staring at her neckline and couldn’t blame Nyx for doing the same: it was so buxom and hardly being contained by her armor, clearly she didn’t mind showing it. The woman noticed their confusion and shot them a kind, smug look. “Name’s Aranea. Well? C’mon now we don’t have all day” she mocked as she turned and cat walked toward the huge exit. 

Nyx squeezed his eyes, biting his lips to hide a smile. 

“Where did you brother find her?” he whispered to Luna, amused by the whole situation. 

“I wish I knew” the Oracle said, she was just as perplexed as him but twice as worried. Clearly that woman was a mercenary, but wasn't it risky for the Empire to have mercenaries at its service? Until now Luna had no clue the Empire hired mercenaries, but what she did know is that her brother chose her to aid them. “Ravus said he can trust only her for these kinds of missions, so i will too.” Nyx raised an eyebrow. 

“So that’s the kind of girl he likes. Didn't expect that.” 

Luna blushed: “Don’t jump at those kind of conclusions in front of me!” 

Nyx was ready for her shy reaction, he actually said it to tease her a bit: he couldn’t help but notice the constant frown Luna was wearing since they decided to leave. He figured stealing a smile from her would help lighten the mood. And it did. When Luna smiled, the world seemed like a better place, hope came back to the surface again. He told her that everything would be fine at least two dozens times already, but he still didn’t convince her. Nor would he because in the deep of his heart, Nyx knew that nothing was fine at all. Yes, they were together in this, but it didn’t automatically mean that everything would end well. The darkness was throwing its shadow on the whole world, leaving them to fix a mess that seemed merely impossible. 

Luna turned back to watch the peculiar green mountains surrounding the spectacular palace, the majestic architecture would be greatly missed. In her mind it had become synonymous of solace. In spite of everything, it still was the only place she could call home. 

“Pryna and Umbra … never came back” Luna eventually whispered, not expecting any response. Merely making a statement. The dogs she loved so much were divine messenger after all and now that she took the opposite side in the fight against the gods, it was no wonder they disappeared. She would miss them more than anything from her former life as an Oracle. 

As expected, Nyx didn’t answer but simply looked away from the palace. As they left Tenebrae their hearts were heavy. 

\-------------- 

“I shall catch up with you in Altissia. The Chancellor informed me that he wants to see me there” Ravus explained as they finished their greetings. “I will not tell anyone about having met you in Tenebrae. Once you arrive in Altissia, look for lady Camelia Claustra for protection. She is the First Secretary of the Accordo Protectorate now and will help in hiding you.” 

Ravus and Luna knew Camelia from their childhood, she was an acquittance of their mother, and now she was the only strategic shelter they could possibly count on. The only start point they could get, if they could get any at all. 

“Have heart, my brother.” 

“I am not the one who needs courage the most sister.” Lunafreya stepped ahead, daring to do something she hasn't done in ages. She hugged her brother’s neck, pulling him close like when they were children. She held him there just as she did first time they were alone after their mother’s death, scared by the unmerciful hands of the Empire that would try to destroy every hope in their hearts and in the next years. And in Ravus’ case, almost succeeded. 

\------------------------ 

The airship was provided by the Empire but Aranea was sailing it like she spent every gil of her salary to buy it. Everyone could tell she was no amateur. In spite of her edgy behavior and sensual outfit, she knew how to do her job. From the moment she entered the airship’s headquarters, she barked commands to the officials, organizing the departure with authority under the pairs watchful eyes. With that big display of leadership, it was no wonder Ravus called her for the mission. 

“The High Commander told me that the Sexy Bodyguard is charged with your security, Princess, not me” she said once they took off, hands on her hips. “So as long as I take you to Altissia, you really don’t need to be here in the cabin with me. Go take a look around, make yourself at home. We gotta take the long road to get to Altissia if we want to avoid the imperial patrols, so you got plenty of time to relax before whatever it is you have to do there.” 

The last sentence served as a tease. Aranea said it slowly, observing the Princess’ reaction to interpret and decipher it. Emerald eyes were watching every inch of her face intimidating and scaring the young Oracle. That woman was sharp, witty and it wouldn’t be easy to avoid her inquisitive behavior, but Luna couldn’t have other people knowing about their plans. 

“Sure. Thank you, captain Aranea” she said with a short bow. 

“Captain? Pft, my words to Gods, I rather die before becoming a captain for the Empire.” 

Luna was surprised by her words. “Listen, I met the Prince back in Vestael recently” Aranea added, stepping forward and lowering her voice so only Nyx and Luna could hear her words. Of course this caught their attention completely. Aranea’s expression softened, her lips slowly smoothing over. “He was trying to find the materials to fix a certain ship to sail or whatever. Look, the point is that he’s trying to reach Altissia as soon as he can. So … When I heard that you were trying to go there too, his reasons of motivation and stress became pretty obvious to me.” 

“Is he alright?” Luna whispered, her voice somehow cracking. She always got emotional when talking about Noctis, because the sweetest and most traumatizing memories in her life were somehow connected to him. 

Aranea shrugged. “Yeah, he’s fine, maybe cause he still doesn’t know what awaits him in Altissia.” 

“And you do?” Luna asked. The older woman clicked her tongue, biting her lip. 

“I don’t really know the details but something's up with the Empire. I heard things I shouldn’t have and it has me pretty worried for the world, you included. I think they're planning to kill you, lady Lunafreya, but you already knew this, right? Otherwise your brother wouldn’t have insisted that you infiltrate Accordo without the Empire knowing.” Luna pressed her lips together, feeling both Aranea and Nyx staring at her. 

“Fear not: once i am able to speak with Noctis we will arrange everything for the best.” 

Her tone of voice caused Aranea to smile. Even if she knew nothing of the Princess’ stubbornness, she could tell she was masking her fears very well. In spite of this, her courage was admirable. The mercenary slightly bounced on her feet and turned around, catching Nyx’s eyes in the process. 

“You better guard her well then, pretty boy.” Nyx really didn’t need the suggestion but nodded anyway. 

“I am ready to cut any fingers daring to touch her.” 

“Yeah. The High Commander told me you'd say that.” Aranea’s statement surprised him, so she elaborated: “It’s pretty obvious he doesn’t like you. But … He trusts you a lot. Don’t let him down.” Her heels echoed throughout the headquarters as she slowly made her way towards the exit.

————— 

Since it was a military airship, there was no room for them to rest, unless they wanted to sleep on a pile of cannon ammunition. So they found a small window positioned in an empty corridor and sat on the iron floor under it. They wanted to see out of the window when they arrived in Altissia. Until that moment came, Luna rested her head on Nyx’s shoulder and spoke a lot. 

Theirs words acting like whispers from the shadows, pieces of conversations being heard, but nevertheless they needed to talk. As expected, the subjects they chose were heavy and nostalgic, but necessary. 

Luna told the Glaive about her childhood, opening up to him for the first time without hiding anything, not a single thought, not even the abuse she received from the Empire. Nyx felt his hands tremble when he heard how Glauca killed Queen Sylva and how the Empire took Lunafreya as an hostage, controlling her with beatings and blackmail. He felt the exact same anger back when the Empire killed his family and destroyed Galahd: he just wanted to kill them, payback for all the evil they had done, but in the end he was powerless. The only thing he could do was thank the Stars for at least having Luna still alive lying beside him. 

Nyx listened in silence, gently caressing her delicate fingers with his callous ones. He observed the grimace on her lips when she told him about the first time she inherited the white magic of the Oracle after her mother's passing, the very first moment when she felt the mark of the Gods claiming their price on her health and how she suffocated the desire of ever being free just for the sake of the world. 

“I’m sorry. You should have known all these things before” Lunafreya whispered in the end, eyes staring at the emptiness. “I was cruel in hiding them from you.” 

It was true, Nyx wished he had known before but now that he heard the whole story, he started to understand why she kept all those burning memories to herself.

“I’m not angry anymore. I felt upset because I really wanted you to trust me all along but now i realize that … after everything you’ve been through … it must still hurt, right?” Luna thought about it. 

“Sometimes it does.” 

It did. It always did, but she wasn’t able to admit it, not even now. 

Nyx noticed, but let it pass. Maybe the scars on her stomach were more evident, but the scars on her heart burned the worst. There was nothing he could do but forgive her if this was what caused her to lie to him in the past. 

When Altissia appeared under the airship, it was a spark of warm lights surrounded by dark waters. The Princess and the Glaive both swallowed and tightened the grip of their hands, like staying together was the only weapon they had to face it all.  
“The final destination of our journey” she whispered. Luna knew that in Altissia the Empire would try to kill her, as they saw her white magic as both an obstacle and threat.   
She knew that the Darkness was one step away from overwhelming the Light, she also knew that what she had done to Shiva and what she was planning to do to the rest of the Astrals would only further complicated things. There was no way of escaping this all. So, she tightened her jaw and together with her Glaive prepared to land. 

———– 

The nights were always warm in Altissia, which at least soothed their ached spirits a bit. 

Aranea directed the landing very well and was now walking ahead in a clandestine airport situated at the borders of the city. Luna and Nyx didn’t have another choice but to follow her along the runway. As they walk down the strip, they used this time to watch, mouth agape, the city around them. The buildings were all white, growing directly off the ocean, popping up like mushrooms from the ground, all filled with harmonious architecture and colorful banners. The night sky was shiny and full of stars, yet it was almost covered by the orange and yellow lights of the buildings glowing on the water setting the atmosphere on fire. Flowers on balconies, gracious gondolas waving in the channels, docks filled with suggestive restaurants and elegant people moving around: even from a distance Nyx and Luna swore it was the most romantic city they have ever seen, so it was no wonder why Regis chose this idyllic place as the perfect location for Noctis and Luna’s secret wedding. 

“Not here for the view, sweethearts” Aranea teased as she bumped into them, escorting them down the building in silence. 

Within ten minutes they managed to sneak into a small palace, entering from the back and straight into a room, all undetected. It was a luxurious chamber, with red curtains and big crystal chandeliers. “The first Secretary will meet with you in her offices tomorrow morning, so for now you'll rest here.” 

“Where are we?” 

“It’s the suite of the main hotel. Is it enough for Your Highness?” Aranea asked crossing her arms, smiling. “Your big brother wanted to make sure you were treated like the Princess you are.” She shot Nyx a smirk, pointing towards another door. “And … he insisted I lock you in the other room.” Nyx snorted but didn’t comment.

“What are you to do in the meantime?” Luna asked, taking a look around. She liked the smell of the flowers in the vases and the view from the balcony. After the suite in Galdin Quay, she never had such a beautiful arrangement for the night. 

“Me? Oh, my job is finished. I’m gonna go enjoy my free time in Altissia, maybe visit the famous coliseum. You two … Don’t leave your rooms, understood?” 

As Aranea reached the exit she blinked at them one last time with playful eyes before getting out. She didn’t believe for a second they would listen to any of her orders. And she was fine with it. 

—————— 

As soon as Aranea left them alone, Luna decided to take a shower while Nyx served himself an Ebony from the mini fridge. To distract himself from the idea that she was naked in the bathroom, he decided to take a look around, searching the perimeter in case of danger until she came out, refreshed, sporting a short white dress. 

“So Princess … You should have some rest now, I should watch over you to make sure the Empire doesn't find out about your presence in the city …” She nodded, blinking out to the night sky. 

“Yes, I should.” 

“Or …” Nyx smirked, hands clasped behind him, slowly drawing closer. “Or we can do something else.” 

She turned around quickly, embarrassment filling her face. 

“Nyx, i don’t feel like …” 

“No, I didn’t mean that.” Nyx was amused by her reaction, but felt the duty to add quickly, eyebrows raised: “I just don’t think you want to stay in the golden cage of a hotel room for much longer, when a whole city is waiting for us.” 

Lunafreya’s expression suddenly changed, from shy to lighthearted.

“Oh?… Is my bodyguard suggesting we go on an adventure out into the dangers of the night? In a foreign city?” Nyx offered his hand and just shrugged. 

“You can put the foulard on to hide your identity again. Don't worry I’m not gonna take my eyes off you.” 

“I’m counting on it” Lunafreya answered, taking his hand with pleasure. 

—————— 

They were already hungry before they arrived, but once they used the back door to leave the hotel they both got engulfed by the smell of various types of food, which made them even hungrier. Luna surprised the Glaive by taking his hand and dragging him towards a gondola, that took them to the closest restaurant. They enjoyed the night breeze and chatted a bit, until they arrived at a place called Maaghoo, where they had a very expensive but delicious dinner seated by the water. Eating together felt different now that their feelings were spoken out loud: it was funnier, more romantic. 

It felt like their first official date. 

Considering the crucial moments they were about to face, they wondered if it was ok to enjoy such a peaceful taste of happiness. They almost felt guilty for falling in love when the world around them was about to fall apart. 

Yet, this didn't stop them. A man named Weskham served them with a smile on his face which mirrored theirs. After the dinner, they had a stroll near the shops, crossing bridges that lead to squares prepared for parties. All around them small fire lights were glowing on their faces as they admired the fascinating buildings, paintings, and marvellous statues. There was no Princess and no Glaive on the street that night. With no duty or responsibility, they were just two people enjoying each other’s company, both having forgot what awaited them tomorrow. When they decided to head back to the hotel room, they both felt a little bit lighter. 

Nyx entered the gondola first putting his hands on the Princess’ hips helping her in. They sat next to each other, thighs touching, she was too distracted by the romantic view of the lagoon to pay attention to his inquisitive eyes. He stayed in silence for a while, blind to everything else but her.

“What are you thinking?” He mused, rubbing his thumb on her rosy cheek. 

“It’s nothing.” 

“Not true. I know you by now. You ain’t got those starry eyes for nothing.” Luna bit her lip and shook her head. 

“It’s nothing, really. You would make fun of me.” Nyx frowned at the offense and pretended to get sulky. 

“When did I ever make fun of you because of your thoughts?” Luna smiled nervously and raised her eyebrows. 

“Right, but … You would misunderstand this.” Nyx got even closer, his arm pressing her to his side. He knew just how to invade her personal space. 

“You make me worry, Princess. You are the one who teased me into conversation when i was on guard duty during the treaty ceremony. You’re the one who jumped from a flying airship and escaped in a fast car without having a license. … You set your standards of 'bad ideas' pretty high. How could your thoughts be worse than that?” His voice was playful but he made a point and it makes Luna giggle. She placed her hand on his chest. 

“Nyx, really … I … was just …” She tried to gain her composure back. “It’s about…” Nyx raised his eyebrows to encourage her to speak. 

“I’m all ears.” Luna sighed and pointed at something in the distance, a single building among all the white and beautiful ones that contrasted with the darkness of the night. 

“The cathedral over there. I am guess it is where my wedding should have took place.” 

Nyx’s smile died and Luna - who was staring at him - noticed immediately. “Now, I expected that look!” she protested trying to get some distance but he didn’t let her. 

“No, no.” Taking her hands in his, he hooked her with his penetrating blue eyes and said: “Go on, tell me.” Luna shook her head but decided to explain. 

“I was just thinking about how quick life could change. Until some months ago, my only wish was to marry Noctis. I knew he was almost a stranger to me yet, i had no real interest in anything else but the wedding itself, because i wanted to … I suppose ... I wanted at least a single happy day in my life. To be loved as a wife, to have been able to receive some kind of affection. But at the same time I knew deep in my heart this would never happened. And now I am here where all this should have taken place but on the opposite side. I stand at the front lines of battle, risking everything because I chose to rebel against the gods I swore to die for … And all this … with you.” She smiled, not having the courage to look him straight in the eye. “I feel so good here where I am. I’m probably gonna die anyway, but I’m strangely proud of the way things went and even more proud of what we are about to do soon.” 

Nyx admired the lights of the distant city reflecting of her cheeks, the mystic glow in her blue eye. He hated the possibility of being parted by such a beautiful creature and realized he could have easily never met her if Drautos would have picked another driver that morning in Insomnia. This thought alone broke his heart because she was his everything now, his mission, his purpose, his death, and his life. He adored her like he never thought he would just some months before and he knew this would have never changed. He had always been like this after all, his loyalty tended to be stubborn: once he cared for something, he never was able to let go. 

“Seeing you proud of yourself is …” he smiled, gently throwing his fingers in her hair under the foulard. Her perfume enveloping every single fiber of his body. “Exciting.” 

“Not really the adjective i anticipated.” Luna cupped his cheeks, kissing his lower lip. 

“What adjective do you prefer?” 

“Something more romantic maybe?” Nyx pretended to be hurt, his grimaces were awkwardly funny. 

“I'm not very good with romantic words, but you have me on my knees. I would do anything to make you happy.” He deepened the kiss catching her off guard, trapping her smile between his lips. 

“Anything, really?” she moaned. “For example?” Nyx shrugged. 

“Jumping after you from another flying airship without my magic, killing a couple of other deities, proposing to you right now …” He said that nonchalantly, but Luna interrupted the kiss flinching back a bit to look him in the eyes, brows furrowed. Nyx didn’t understand why she stopped, so he passed his thumb on her cheek and adjusted her hair. “Did I say something wrong?” Luna squeezed her eyes. No, he didn’t. Or maybe yes he did? Her knees started to tremble, her heart racing, beating uncontrollably. He was only kidding around, but the word “proposal” falling from his lips literally turned her into a melting mess. To hide her flustering, she shook her head and slipped closer, putting her arms around his strong neck. 

“No” she whispered, letting herself be consumed by all these feeling at once: the safe warmth of the Glaive’s embrace, the smell of the sea, the cradle of the gondola on the water, the unrepeatable moment where everything was perfect. It was what she always dreamed of when her dreams were just wishes that never would come true. 

\----------------- 

Nyx opened the door to Luna’s room looking at her uncertain expression as they stepped in. They were hand in hand completely lost in each other’s eyes. As they turn on the lights a cold voice froze them both in place: 

“You were told to stay in your room for your own safety, Lady Lunafreya.” A middle aged woman was sitting on the red couch in the center of the room, a dark skinned skin man standing beside her. Their eyes widen in surprise as the man looked familiar, it was Weskham, the server from Maagho. 

“And I did not know i was put under surveillance either, Lady Camelia” she vocalized, gesturing towards the older man. 

“Weskham is an old friend of King Regis, the same way your mother and I were. We both only wish for your good.” 

Nyx let the Princess’ hand go but it was too late for Weskham to not notice. He observed them earlier at the restaurant anyway so he kind of figured out what was going on. But he decided to shut up and smirk he was a man of manners, after all. Lunafreya stepped ahead, hands joined in front of her. She bowed but quickly stood up again. 

“It is my pleasure to see you well and in shape after all these years, lady Camelia.” 

“Years have passed indeed, but me being well and in shape is a mere appearance i fear. These years of wars and political tensions have signed my soul, but i have not come here to annoy you with my problems. I simply wanted to make sure you are safe and well before the meeting settled for tomorrow morning.” 

“I will be present.” 

“You do not have much choice, Princess. Crucial themes need to be touched. I fear what the morning will bring.” Luna frowned, she knew she should have not expected rose news. Camelia stood up with an elegant wave of her hips which in other circumstances, Nyx would have considered ridiculous. She sighed and look at them both before saying with a motherly tone: “Try to behave like the Queen Oracle you appear to be.” 

What Camelia didn’t know was that Luna’s real journey had begun when she realized that she was simply not that, a Queen Oracle. Nyx looked at Luna with some apprehension but she seemed to have understood and assimilated to the concept by now. 

“I shall appear only as what i truly am.” Camelia narrowed her eyes but smiled nonetheless. 

“Have some rest then … Queen.” 

\---------------- 

The following morning was proving to be very complicated for Luna. She found it rather difficult to convince Nyx that Camelia was still on Luna’s side, and not just another mere trinket in the hands of the Empire. He grunted when Altissian soldiers came in to escort the Oracle to the first Secretary, considering it too dangerous to simply follow them without any hesitation. 

"Nyx, you'll see that lady Camelia is not the enemy." 

"I just don't trust politicians." 

"Well, you surely seem to like kissing them though." Nyx snorted and shook his head, biting his lower lip as he looked her deep in the eyes. 

"Only one. A stupid exception i decided to make for reasons still beyond my control." 

In spite of how much they joked about Camelia being shady, they didn’t have much of a choice but to go pay her a visit. The evening before had been a dream, a irreplaceable golden moment they selfishly stole for themselves. But in reality there was a diplomatic dance to execute, where taking the wrong step could leave them strongly disadvantaged in their final battles, and possibly compromise the future of the world. 

Lucky enough, Lunafreya was at ease. She had spent years as a Princess hostage and when she officially became Oracle, she had to learn how to deal with bureaucracy and officialisms. Nyx was allowed to hate politics, but for her, it was the only speciality that really kept her alive through the years. 

Luna entered Camelia’s office, every single nerve of her body tensed in pain. The first Secretary was beyond the desk, hands joined on the cold wood, a determined fire in her eyes. She had an advantage on them, because she was the leader of Accordo, she could count on a consistent amount of decisional power since they were simple guests in her territory. Even if Camelia’s role was constantly supervised by the Empire itself, nothing would have stopped her from ruining everything Lunafreya and Nyx were planning, if she really wanted to. 

Thanks the Stars, Camelia didn’t ask Nyx to leave, otherwise Luna would have strongly objected, creating useless drama. They got straight to the point. 

“I am honored to receive the precious Oracle of Eos in Altissia, yet you must understand that your arrival could possibly mean trouble for the delicate balance we have reached with the Empire. I require to know your plans here, but before that, there’s something i want to show you.” 

Nyx was diligently positioned two steps behind Luna, who was on a red carpet in the center of the room. Both of them involuntary took one step ahead at Camelia’s words. Camelia took a thin notebook out of the drawer of her desk, one that Luna recognized immediately. 

“It’s that ... that diary, how d- …?” she whispered in surprise, heart quickly gripped by a wicked foreboding. Something was not right. 

"So, it was yours as I suspected." 

Luna's breath increased as she inquired: “Where is Noctis? Is he alright?” 

“I cannot answer this being that I have never met him. I did not even know the Prince was connected to this notebook until now.” 

“Why do you have it then?” Camelia stood up, giving the precious diary to the Princess. 

“It appeared on my desk this morning, right before your arrival. I thought it better to talk about it immediately, even before discussing more pressing matters.” 

“And have you read it?” 

“No. I didn’t have the time.” Luna took it with shaky hands and swallowed. 

“Umbra had it. I sent a message to Noctis some weeks ago but never received an answer.” 

Quickly she opened it to the last page to see if Noctis wrote something in return and found a message right there where she expected. She frowned immediately, sensing strange vibes coming from it. The calligraphy was the same she was used to. Noctis used to write terribly since he was 8 and his penmanship hadn't improved much since then. His laziness and waywardness were the reasons behind his short and shy messages, so when Luna saw a whole page thickly covered with words, she stared at it, mouth open in disbelief. 

“My dearest Luna, I am looking forward to seeing you in Altissia, where we finally are going to be wed. Your help in forging the covenants has been determinant. However, it’s been a couple of days since i felt something different in the Astrals helping me during my journey. I didn’t say anything to my friends but i think they noticed it too. I don’t feel safe summoning the Gods anymore, so i try to avoid it. I feel their rage bursting, like they retrieved their blessing. If it is so, it would mean that something happened to you and this would destroy me, I can’t afford losing you too. Furthermore, I can’t shake off the sensation of being followed. It could be the Empire’s Chancellor Ardyn Izunia, he is everywhere i go, pretending to help me out when he surely is aiming at something else. The Empire is capable of cruel things, Luna, and I suspect they know your exact position. Please, use caution: if they didn’t get you already, they will soon. Things bigger than us are moving beyond the curtains. I fear that you, me, and all the people helping us, are in danger. I hope to hear news from you, -Noctis. ” 

Luna detected what was wrong on that paper at first words glance. Her lungs just stopped breathing and the glow in her eyes almost turned into tears. Her thin fingers closed the diary with a faded thump. 

She bowed and stayed in that position, pleading: “Prince Noctis just informed me he is alive and well. The notebook was our way of communicating all these years, I’m glad to have it again thanks to you. What I ask of you with my presence here today is to grant me and my guardian temporary asylum, until the arrival of Noctis in Altissia, which is soon to happen. Being the King he found himself to be at such a young age, he will inform you of both of our plans.” 

Camelia studied her for one minute but Luna had chosen to stay bowed for a specific reason: she didn’t want to give away what she just read in the diary. 

Nyx understood from her weird behavior that something was off but he didn’t say anything to avoid compromising Camelia’s reaction. He didn't want to be the reason the political meeting would have to be cut short. Instead he chose to close his fists, forcing himself to keep calm and trust Lunafreya. He was curios to know what she had read in the notebook yet he swallowed, returning to behave like the elite soldier of the Kingsglaive he was. 

The first Minister accepted to offer them protection for awhile but she imposed one single condition to Luna and Nyx: to not exit their rooms, as to not let anyone know about their presence within the city. Of course, heavily implying that what she really meant to say was the two no longer could have romantic outings on the gondola under the moonlight. 

After discussing further topics and concerns, Camelia dismissed them. Both Luna and Nyx tried to keep calm as they were leaving the office but really wanted to run out like the whole palace was on fire. An escort was following them closer behind, but they couldn’t wait to arrive in their room to discuss the morning's events. 

“What the hell was written in the diary? Why was it found on the first Minister’s desk? I think it’s very suspicious and —” 

“Of course it was. And he knew it.” 

“He? You mean the Prince?” 

“No.” Luna gave the diary to Nyx and he quickly opened it to the last page. While he was reading he kept moving forward, frowning his forehead in confusion. “Do you really think that he would choose to express his deepest fears in a diary that he used to write no more than three brief sentence in?” Once she saw he finished reading the page she simply stated: “No, the one who wrote that page was not Noctis. This I am sure of.” 

“If not him, who?” Luna closed her eyes, trying to stop the flow of thoughts in her mind and tried to be reasonable. Her attempt was at best, a failure as she was almost crying when she uttered:

“The Usurper. It’s him. He revealed his identity through this message: he wanted us to know that he knows where we are, what we did, what we are going to do. Somehow he stole the diary from Umbra. There is no other reason as to why he could have it. Oh, for the love of ... I just hope ... Umbra and Pryna are fine ...” 

Nyx delicately placed a hand on her back, looking for her eyes even if they didn’t stop searching for a second. Only through them he would understand her true feelings. They reached the external gate of the Palace and finally boarded the gondola whom would take them to their hotel room.

Once they were aboard, he looked around to see if someone was listening and then whispered in her ear: “Who’s the Usurper?” 

The original Cosmology was often forgot and weird legends and traditions took its place instead, so it was no surprise that Nyx didn’t know anything about what happened thousand of years ago. Luna explained how a Savior turned into a Renegade, how that man became the incarnation of impurity and darkness, and how he decided to take revenge on the Kings who banished him. Nyx waited to be in the hotel room to ask his next question. 

“Why do you think he’s the one writing on the page in the diary?” Luna’s steps were frenetic but she halted abruptly, stopping in front of the huge mirror, watching her reflection in it. Her face resembling that of a helpless deer and she didn’t like it one bit. She wanted to be strong in moments like these, she needed to be strong. She couldn’t afford to be weak in front of the Usurper, or he would easily destroy her and her last hopes of saving Eos. 

“Only a sinister creature such as him could threaten me using the diary Noctis and I shared” she said graciously falling on the couch, her beautiful white dress contrasting against the red material of the furniture. Again, her voice sounded terrified further disgusting her. Quickly she pressed her fingers to her forehead massaging her temples in hopes of easing the stress away to no avail. 

Nyx’s heart ached seeing her like that. “You think it’s the Chancellor of Nifelheim, that Ardyn Izunia, don’t you?” 

“He specifically named himself in the message. He did it on purpose. He wanted us to understand who he actually is so we would panicked, paralyzed by the fear of losing everyone who’s is near to us by his hand” Luna’s breath was barely a whisper. "We have to tell Ravus! He said the Chancellor wanted to meet him and ---!" 

"Princess, calm down." 

“He’s so cruel … and megalomaniac!” Nyx stepped ahead, getting closer to her. He reached for the hands on her temples and replaced them with his, massaging her soft skin. 

“You handed me the Trident to kill the Glacian and now you’re scared of this jester?” Luna let herself feel cuddled under his touch. 

“You are right. I am sorry.” There was no sarcasm in her tone, only a sense of fatigue and shame. Nyx took a deep breath and kneeled in front of her to be at her level. His eyes were filled with sincerity, glowing as he said: “Lunafreya, you’re the strongest, wittiest, kindest, most elegant,… and most determined woman I have ever met and I know it very well. I had the chance to familiarize myself with you and I feel so lucky because everyone else out there thinks you’re nothing but a mere device, a puppet whose destiny can be used for their own profit.” He smiled, warmth and gentleness being spilled straight from his lips. “After years of submission, show those shady gods, the dethroned kings, and cruel Empire … who you really are. That's what you said you would do, right?” Nyx wasn’t the type to give open hearted praises so if he decided to step that far and say it out loud it meant the situation really required it, and that he really was sure of. Luna took his hands in hers, gazing at the small imperfections on his face which made him somehow perfect. She felt her fears melting away, that pleasant sensation bringing along a foolish thought that she had to stand up to hide her burning red cheeks. “What now? Was I too cheesy?” Nyx asked, smirking smugly as always. 

Luna indulged on her thoughts, gaining back determination mixed with a considerable amount of desperation. 

“Nyx, I have a request …” she started, turning around swallowing hard. 

"Sure thing princess, anything." Nyx blurted out that promise like it was natural. Maybe it was. He would have done anything to make her happy. 

She closed balled her fists taking a deep breath, she thought she knew exactly what his reaction would be once she said her request. However, she was on the edge of her mental stability and dared to say what she wouldn’t have dared to only imagine a couple of weeks before. 

“… We should get married.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrived in Altissia, but Luna and Nyx know now they have more than just one single enemy: the minacious Empire, the cruel Gods and also the incarnation of Darkness, the so called Ardyn Izunia. Certain of meeting her death soon, Luna has only a request to ask to her beloved bodyguard …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS. CHAPTER. IS. MY. GUILTY. PLEASURE. AND YES. I’M. NOT. SORRY. 
> 
> (seriously though. There are so many things I love of this chapter. The angst. Aranea. The cerimony. The details. Nyx Ulric. Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. Lunafreya Ulric. The chocobros. @loveiscosmicsin made it so beautiful I may cry. In fact I am, so bye, I’ll go to write the final chapters of this story: -3

"I think we should get married," she had said. Nyx reacted as anyone in his position would, frozen in place, stunned.

“Now that’s something I’m not sure I can do," he said. Luna looked embarrassed, weary but also angry while she was stared forward at seemingly nothing. Her delicate skin on the forehead furrowed, the light in her eyes was shadowed by dark thoughts. Nyx addressed her with a grunt, “Are you serious?” 

Like called by something in the distance or maybe just because of exhaustion, Lunafreya closed her eyes. 

As she did so, a chilling roar thundered in her mind, invading it with the horrible image of Leviathan: The rage of the Sea Goddess was realized in a maelstrom, debris collided in buildings, the sicklyscent of salt mixed with blooshed. The floor under her feet was crumbling like a house of cards, leaving her disoriented. 

Luna gasped and opened her eyes again. Her heart pounded in her chest and she was beside herself as the thoughts were tumultously scattered. It was a vision, a premonition for what was to come. So she whispered, words more frenetic yet delicate, “You have the right to be confused. And it’s very hard to explain my reasons without being inappropriate.”

Nyx saw her agitation, but just shook his head and looked away. “Your reasons, huh? Enlighten me. I’ve always thought that if I’d have to get married, it’ll because I wanted a future with this person. But with you, it’s a little more complicated than that.”

“A future…?” She echoed as she grew more pensive, crushing her right hand. 

Another omen surprised her.

Dark blood sullying her white dress, coming from a deep cut in her abdomen. It must have been painful, but she didn’t care. She was looking for something in that terrific mess and she was anxiously craving to find. Something, or probably… Someone. 

Luna snapped her neck aside and looked at Nyx now in the present, wondering where those nightmares where coming from. The Glaive didn’t seem to notice her fright. What was happening? Why was she seeing these visions now?

“On the contrary, I didn’t propose to get married because I think we’ll have a future, Nyx.” Her voice was broken by the visions and her kneels where shaking, “Far from it.”

“Princess…” The Glaive didn’t get closer because he was discerning the gears and turns of her mind, an improbable endeavor though he was always welcome to try.

“I… I think it was foretold, Nyx.” She pressed the hands on her ears like thousand of spiders slipped in her brain, eating it out. Yet, she stayed composed. “The Gods decided to slowly kill me with this disease and even if I was able to escape to it at the beginning, I will die at the hands of the Usurper anyway. Don’t you see the strings pulling me in that direction?”

“No, I don’t. You can change your destiny, Princess. I told you that.”

“I’ve changed my destiny already, Nyx. How long would it continue to be shaped by mortal hands I cannot say.” She looked at him now, making only one step ahead, grabbing his hand to hold on something. The headache became more and more painful as the seconds passed by, but what she had to say was more urgent and important than a mere sufferance. She was used to suffering, she would have handled it. She collected her thoughts, trying to put them in order and to be logic. “Like you just said, I’ve come up with the real me and I never thought I would. You gave me the opportunity to see more than my only duty to the world and now I have the chance to die. Not as a puppet, but as Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. I’m content with this. It’s a lot more than I’ve had hoped for.”

Nyx opened the mouth to say something but the frown on her face stopped him from trying. He wanted to assure her nobody would have died, that everything would have been fine, but how could he when all around them was pure uncertainty.

“Nyx, if these were to be my last days on Eos, I’d want to have spent them with you.” 

“We’re together now. I won’t leave you.”

“No, you didn’t understand. I want to be yours... in every aspect.”

A shiver ran through his spine, making him swallow. She did the same. 

“You are… not?” he asked. Maybe he wanted to tease her, because he actually had understood what she meant. A pink blush dusted her pale cheeks, so he added: “I couldn’t wish anything better than having you, Princess. I want you. I just don’t think this is the way. I’m not a man who runs away from commitment, but now’s not the moment for thinking about marriage. We should prepare weapons for battle, not bouquets for weddings.”

“We may not have those moments later on.” 

And, another blinking flash of another premonition, so visceral and it turned her blood to ice.

This time it was blinding and unbelievably realistic. It was more than just a possibility for the future, it felt like an undeniable truth. Luna felt a name tumbling out of her mouth, such an overwhelming sensation she nearly screamed in reality. The blood was not only hers, she could tell by the difference of color. Hers was black, vile and unclean, like she knew it would be. On the other hand, his was red. Red, vivid like his personality, vibrant, the essence of life. The screams of the Gods covered hers.

Lunafreya forced herself to open the eyes to get in touch again with reality.

“Princess, are you okay?”

Without being noticed, Nyx had got closer, passing his fingers on her forehead, wiping away the sweat which plastered her blonde hair to the skin. 

“I’m fine.”

Nyx was not so stupid to believe it. “Is it your illness? You should have a seat then.” She let him, but pulled him next to her on the sofa. 

“Nyx, I know how silly my request may sound, but there’s also another reason for it.”

“Lunafreya, let’s save it for another time? You are pale like a blanket.”

But Luna ignored him, making him rolling eyes as she continued: “The Empire arranged my wedding with Noctis and the Astrals encouraged such a decision because it was to bind me to them indefinitely. They still influence me with this illness even when my symptoms improved after Gentiana’s death. I’m still... theirs. And I hate it. I want to be mine. I want to be yours. And if I tied to you instead, not even the Gods will be able to change it. Doing it in an official way like a wedding will be definitive enough to prove them wrong.”

The more Nyx seemed to hesitate, the more Luna got fueled so he tried to hide his refuse blurting in a laugh:

“Yeah, let’s get married to nag the gods.” 

Lunafreya sighed, acknowledging the train of the inexplicable omens she just had: they left her powerless, empty inside with any feeling but fear, and they were pieces of a blurred reality which would have haunted her for her last days on earth, maybe also stealing all the transient happiness she just found. 

She rested her head on Nyx's shoulder, the headache was making her brain burst.  
She tried to push aside her trepidition to make place to more pleasant thoughts, imagining a world where marrying a man was not a demonstration of coercion or a political strategy, but simply an act of love like it was meant to be, an ideal world where her request wouldn’t have been a sign of desperation. But for now, that it was. And even if she didn’t dreamt it like that, she really wanted it anyway. 

“It’s fine, I understand you,” she said though, only because she didn’t have any strength to keep her eyes open. 

Lunafreya lost resistance completely. Nyx barely had the time to pick her in his arms before she fainted.

—————

Her slumber were only filled with nightmares.

Shattered pieces of destruction, screams, fights, storms, water, blood. If that was a threat sent by the angered Astrals as Luna suspected later, it was a cruel and vivid torture, because her fate wasn’t the only one involved. Noctis was in it. Ravus was in it. All the familiar faces who smiled at her in the weeks after Insomnia’s fall. 

And of course, Nyx.

When his image appeared, chopped by the instability of the dream, Lunafreya screamed with all the breath sustained in her lungs. 

She could accept being deceived, being beaten and wounded, she could accept even death but she couldn’t bear losing him. In fact, she didn’t want to lose anyone else, either.

She had enough of deaths and suffering, she simply couldn’t bear it anymore.  
But as the nightmares struck again, she couldn’t even react, trapped inside the nonsense spiral of pain she tasted all along her life.

———–

Nyx was seated on the chair, fingers pressed against his mouth while he watched over the Princess’ restless form. The darkness of the room almost hid him completely, but the moon illuminated the pale skin of Luna instead, kissing her cheek with its delicate beams. 

He couldn’t sleep anyway, so he decided to stay there, thinking and meditating. He sighed multiple times, remembering how often that woman never ceased in surprises.

Now this idea of the wedding… Would that make him a prince? The thought of that was ridiculous. 

His feelings, those were not cause of doubt. He knew better than deny them by now. What started with only admiration quickly became interest, then affection and in the end pure and incontestable love. Yes, he loved her. But already in Tenebrae he started to realize how such a feeling wasn’t made for the world they were living. And such happiness would be short-lived. She was a Princess. He was a Glaive. What kind of future was he able to promise her?

In spite of this, he hadn’t been able to stop when the time of show his affection had come and now they found themselves here, in a dark room, desire in their hearts, tiredness on their body, not even remotely ready to face the almost certain probability of their deaths. 

After all, he shouldn’t have been surprised. It was like the most ancient tragedy written in all the legends was taking place for real in their lives: star-crossed lovers doomed to face the world with their hopeless feelings as only weapon. Fate loomed over them, waiting for the opportunity to render through their defenses.

“It sucks,” Nyx muttered, flinching back on the chair and sighing deeply. He never thought it would have got this far. “Got our work really cut out for us, Princess.”

Luna was having a very uneasy sleep. Covered by soft white blankets, the wrinkle on her forehead was deep, a sheen of perspiration on her skin.  
Her health worried him a lot. All this fainting wasn’t normal for a person who claimed she was healing. Probably it was exactly like she admitted one hour before: the Six were taking their tools anyway. If only taking her as wife would have really helped to tear her away from them, he would have… Yes, he would have prepare a big ceremony. 

But Lunafreya was convinced she would die anyway, so really what was it for?

“'Nyx, if these are my last days on earth, I want to spend them with you.'“ 

He flicked his tongue and sighed again. He didn’t want to, but he found himself imagining her in his bed during their first night, her naked skin against his while he was finally free to love her all night, to give her the pleasure she deserved. He opened his eyes back immediately, maybe a bit ashamed of going that far with imagination. There were priorities to consider after all. And remembering that she was the one expressing the same desire first really didn’t help.

He stood up and started to walk around nervously. When he calmed down a bit, he reached for her hand, delicately caressing the palm. Her fingers instinctively closed around his, making Nyx smile. 

What passed through his mind in these long moments was very hard to describe, it felt like a turning point in his life and something extremely normal at the same time, surely something crazy and unusual, something he would have cherished until her last breath.

He covered her shoulder with the blanket, moved a lock of hair from her cheek and then turned on his heel, leaving the room very quickly. 

The palace of the first secretary was his destination.

—————

He shouldn’t have left the room so when he tried to, one guard immediately stopped him.

“You were informed to remain in your room, sir.”

Nyx had pity for that random guy, far too young to have his ass kicked for doing his job. So, he tried the reason approach first. “I would love to stay but I got something I need to talk with that woman, what’s her name, Camelia.”

The boy was puzzled. “But sir …”

“Listen, there is a fine lady in the room. She’s sleeping so she shouldn’t be getting into trouble but I need you to watch over her for a couple hours.”

“Sir, I can’t let you–” Nyx rolled eyes and was about to answer very frankly when another voice interrupted them both.

“I knew that the expression ‘remaining still’ wouldn’t have made any sense to types like you.” 

Nyx turned around and so did the young Altissian soldier and they saw a woman with platinum blonde hair approach them.

“Aranea,” Nyx said, surprised of seeing her there. “Aren’t you off duty?”

“My vacation had to be cut short because of you guys. The High Commander wasn’t feeling safe in leaving you at your destiny and asked me to supervise your movement and report.”

Nyx grimaced, but Ravus being apprehensive of their relationship was the least of his concern. “I need to speak with the First Secretary,” he explained.

Aranea took a deep breath and put the hands on her hips.“Was that your way of asking me to get out of your way? Could’ve ask nicely.”

“Aranea, would you please…?”

The woman smirked. “You’re lucky I have a soft spot for kindness. Boy!” She called the young soldier, who immediately stepped forward, hand raised at his brow. “Keep watching over the Princess, I’ll take the fine bodyguard where he wants to go.” And then she nodded at Nyx again, “C’mon, before I change my mind.”

————

“A wedding. Now, that is a curious way to keep you occupied until Prince Noctis’ arrival.”

Camelia was sitting beyond her desk like the last time but her expression was now everything but professional. Her eyebrows were arched, surprise and allusion painted on her face. If Nyx didn’t know better, he could swear he saw her smiling. “Speaking of which, wasn’t the Oracle promised to him? I really can’t afford to have diplomatic issues with Lucis because I accepted to commerate a wedding with the wrong groom.”

Nyx stood still in his military position, chin up, hands behind his back. “Plans changed, but I don’t think you’ll suffer because of it.”

“You 'don’t think’…” Camelia said, standing up from her chair and getting closer. She rested her back on the desk and crossed arms, which clearly meant she changed the tone of the conversation, from an official to a very confidential one. In that moment Nyx understood he had convinced her: she would make the proper arrangements for the ceremony. “What is your role, if you dare to mingle in politics now?”

“No politics, ma'am. With all the respect, politics never did much to make people like the princess and prince happy. As a soldier charged of Lady Lunafreya’s well-being, I can say this is for the best.”

“Why so?”

“Because i want to make her happy, ma'am.”

Aranea - who was waiting next the door - snorted and murmured something incomprehensible, while Camelia limited herself to a smile and shake of her head.

“I can find five minutes tomorrow. You will have your wedding but I have to ask you not to involve anyone else so we can avoid the scandal.”

Nyx was glad this was her condition since the idea of a big wedding just made his stomach wrench. He turned to blink at Aranea and she understood immediately what he meant to say with that look. She raised hands in the sky.

“You know I have to report to the High Commander someday. But, if you really want to keep it secret, I can give a heads-up so you two can run for the hills.”

“We have to keep it secret at least until Leviathan’s Awakening,” Nyx specified, then, his expression darkened. He stuttered some words half voice, contemplating a possibility for the future he didn’t like: “After that, I don’t know what …”  
Camelia e Aranea both stood still for a minute, each of them with different thoughts. 

“I’m afraid to cut our meeting short, but I really have a lot of other things to do,” Camelia said in the end. “We have a very elegant hall downstairs in the palace. We’ll hold the wedding there, if you don’t change your mind, of course.”

Nyx came back to reality and shrugged, forgetting all the formalities. They parted without adding anything else, everyone too busy with their heavy thoughts.  
Aranea escorted the Glaive out of the room but stopped in the corridor to make a very simple question:

“So what are you gonna wear tomorrow?”

Nyx grimaced, not understanding. “Well, we have just to put a signature somewhere so we really don’t need a special outfit.”

Aranea’s beige lips twitched, angry and outraged. “My ears are bleeding! Would it kill you to put in a little effort? It’s much of her special day as it is of yours. Girl would want a fabulous wedding dress at least, for the Astrals’ sake!” 

“What are you even talking about? The Princess is different, she’s—”

No, she was not, Nyx realized immediately. She insisted to have a fancy dress even for the Six’s Awakening and kept the wedding dress she chose on a mannequin in the center of the room. Of course she would have loved to wear something special the day after. 

He sighed, frustrated. “Stars help us. When King Regis ordered me to see her safe to Altissia, I never signed up for all this.”

—————

Luna woke up because Nyx sat on the mattress and kissed her on the cheek. Even if her sleep left her powerless, at least her morning kiss was sweet.

“Good morning.”

“How long was I asleep?”

“A lot. Again. But it’s fine, you probably needed it.”

Luna opened her mouth to tell him about her omens and her nightmares that still tormented her because she couldn’t wish more than sharing her fears with the only person in the world who would have understood. But she couldn’t. The pain had anchored its roots down her heart already and she felt too heavy to talk for now. She simply reached out to encircle her arms around his neck and embraced him, looking for the easy comfort he was always ready to supply her without explanation.  
“I’m sorry for yesterday.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re under a lot of pressure. Everything’s going to be okay, Lunafreya,” Nyx said, aware of the distress before her urgent proposal. Luna had to give him credit for trying the optimism card even in such a hopeless situation. His voice and his smell weren’t enough to soothe her pain away, but the idea of having him closer whatever it would have happened, speaking reassuring words even if they were a lie, was heartening.

Thinking of all that, Luna relaxed, almost falling asleep again in his arms, when he decided to start to speak again: “I paid a visit to the First Secretary.”

Lunafreya tilted her head and looked at him. She read tranquillity in his eyes and waited.

“I was wondering if you have programs for tomorrow night.”

Luna narrowed eyes, trying to understand why he needed to know that. “You discussed something… with First Secretary Claustra?” She only knew about Nyx’s aversion for the woman so she didn’t understand what he was trying to say until he revealed: 

“Well, I didn’t get too cozy with her or anything, but she’ll authorize our marriage.”

Luna’s heart sank down in her stomach and then rose to the throat. The feeling she felt in that moment was unusual, she had proposed in the most unconventional way: it was pure fear, but also of joy, sadness mingled with pleasant surprise.

“ …Are you serious?” 

“Not what you wanted?” Seeing her puzzled confused him too.

“Yes,” Luna said quickly. “But I’m surprised. You weren’t enthusiastic about my proposal.” 

He still thought it was pointless. He didn’t want to believe they would have died soon, even if he sensed a similar danger in the air being stronger than ever. And in case of survival, he was unnerved that a marriage between a princess and her bodyguard would have created a huge amount of complications, anyway.  
Even so, the idea of having her forever - without Kings or Gods trying to prevent it anymore - was too appealing to renounce to it. 

Maybe he was spellbound, for he was unable to say no to any request she made. At this point, he would have also moved all by himself against the entire imperial army if that meant to make her happy.

“You better do it before I change my mind, then.”

Luna looked at him. She had a hundred of question to make and probably she would have. But first, she needed a moment to realize what was happening.

After Insomnia’s fall, the pace of her life increased so quickly she was having trouble in keeping up with it. Maybe everything was going too fast, maybe desperation was taking over rationality. Or maybe she was finally freeing herself of the chains which kept her hostage since she was twelve years old.

Luna’s lips formed a small smile and Nyx didn’t hesitate to kiss her. 

If she lost control on events pretty soon, it would have been by his side. She couldn’t imagine better way to live her last days.

———–

“You sure about this?” was the first thing he asked the next morning. And she didn’t have doubts when she answered: 

“Yes.”

———–

It was midnight. 

They chose that hour because it was somehow emblematic for their union: the end of a day and the start of a new one. Or like would have Libertus said if he was there, just because that was the hour in which couples who had to hide their love affair got married. 

Whatever the interpretation could be, they both felt safe to make such an important step under the ray of the shiny full moon of Altissia. It made such a perfect atmosphere even more intimate, in the end, it was just the two of them sharing the vows which would have bond them for the eternity, in this life or in the other, and that was all they wanted.

It was not an extravagant ceremony. 

Nyx waited next to Camelia - the official officer - at the end of the hall lightened only by a candelabrum, and Weskham would have been witness too. 

The Glaive adjusted his white shirt, a friendly but insistent gesture provided by Aranea. He wasn’t feeling really comfortable in such a bright color, but he had to admit he looked good with it. He hadn’t to resist long though, the wedding wouldn’t have last more than 15 minutes probably. 

He seemed unexpectedly calm for the situation, maybe because he still haven’t realized how far they were going with that secret wedding, how insulting would it be considered by the Empire and the Gods. 

However, if there was any doubt, it disappeared the moment when Lunafreya arrived. Escorted by Aranea - the one who proclaimed herself the wedding planner when nobody volunteered - she moved out from the darkness of the hall, revealing herself even more splendid than she usually was. 

She was, in fact, a vision.

One day wasn’t ample time to organize a wedding, but she showed up with a stunning lace dress, simple and enchanting, product of one of the fastest designers of all Altissia, probably. Nyx stretched his neck to see her better and swallowed, finally feeling adrenaline and emotion climbing up his stomach to his throat.

Aranea smiled proudly as she took her to the crystal table which would have been used as an altar: she did a lot to provide that wedding dress to the princess in so little time and she didn’t seem to care if Ravus would have got mad once he knew the mercenary was involved in that scandalous wedding. She gave the bride to the groom like a close relative would.

As for Nyx, his eyes colored of all the shades of love as he reached for Luna’s hand, grabbing it steadily.

He took note of the rose color of her cheeks and of her trembling hands. They wouldn’t have photos documenting their wedding, it would have been too risky so he was determined to imprint every detail of her that night as better as he can.  
Lunafreya was way more excited than him, but when she met his eyes she wasn’t uncertain. This gave courage to Nyx too.

Camelia didn’t dally in execution and quickly said what she had to say. Nyx and Luna were too absorbed by each other’s stunning appearance, so they didn’t listen to a single word until the time to recite their vows came.

Being the man, Nyx started:

“I still don’t understand how just the other day I was ordered to give you a ride to the Citadel and today, standing in Altissia, but since I’m here, I’m gonna get along with it.” He succeeded in his intent and made Lunafreya smile, lowering a bit the tension. He paused to enjoy the sight of his beautiful bride who only had her eyes on him. “I was tricked into loving you and trust me when I tell I didn’t plan it. I thought I was into less complicated brunettes, which would have keep me out of troubles.” He smiled. “Guess I was wrong. You know, I was committed to my duty of soldier only, marked by a past I thought I could never forget. The Empire took my family away and fighting for Lucis to make amends was my only purpose. Then, at some point, King Regis decided to trust me with your life and you became my new mission. From my mission you, yes, you, blondie bossy stubborn head, the damnest and most stubborn woman I’ve ever met, became the sole reason as to why I’m here. You became the woman I’ve come to love. I still don’t think I deserve you, but you can be sure you will always have me, so it’s no bother for me to vow for the hundred time: I, Nyx Ulric, take you Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, to be my beloved wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do us apart.”

Lunafreya hold her breath all along his small talk, understanding that every small word of those traditional vows had a special meaning for them, it was rang true than it did for everyone else. 

“You should know why I chose you and nobody else to be here today,” she started, when she understood a longer silence would have been embarrassing. “You set me free when all the people around me tried to cage me beyond bars made of lies and manipulations. I don’t know how you could do that since i felt like i was the perfect Oracle people wanted me to be, virtuous and focused on my duty only, distant from the earthly desires all the other girls have. Instead, you showed me how to think with my own head and at the same time, how to follow my heart, and the lessons both unexpectedly led me to you. So today I, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, former Princess of Tenebrae and the Oracle of Eos, take you, Nyx Ulric, elite member of the Lucian Kingsglaive department, to be my beloved husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse…” She stopped to fight back tears ready to ruin the moment. “For richer and for poorer. In sickness and in health.” She squeezed his fingers, knowing he knew what she was referring to. “…To love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do us apart.”

And with that last sentence, a tear slid her cheek.

Nyx’s heart melt into a messy puddle at the sight and he quickly stepped ahead to wipe it away with his lips.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and it was hard to tell for what she was thanking him exactly.

Aranea and Weskham smiled, moved in their own way by the intimate ceremony. Camelia didn’t stir and simply continued to play her part by proclaiming them husband and wife, reciting the entire doggerel that an officer should have recite in a monotone voice. 

They didn’t have rings to share. First, because they didn’t have time to buy them and second, they didn’t care. They had enough of rings already and they were sure nothing would have last longer than their reciprocal sentiments engraved on the stone of their hearts.

So they became husband and wife simply like that, when their lips touched under the soft light of the moon filtering through the huge windows. 

“Does this mean I can start calling you Mrs. Ulric, right?” Luna smiled and reached for his face to caress his tattoos, the beard, his braids. She felt a brand new person when she nodded. They kissed again. 

That kiss tasted the sweetest, it sealed the most dangerous and craved feeling they would have ever felt and also started the bond which would have changed the course of their lives.

————-

They headed directly back to the hotel, this time with the promise to Camelia to really not leave the room until Noctis’ arrival. 

After all, they didn’t wish for anything else.

Luna’s heart was beating at a crazy pace as she stepped in the room she left just one hour before. In that little time, everything changed and that was only the beginning, she knew it. Now when she saw dozen of candles lightened up in all the corners of the room, her heart cheesed to beat completely. 

After a comprehensible minute of surprise, Nyx approached her from the back, whispering in her ear: 

“I didn’t have the time to organize any other gift for you, Princess. I’m sorry.”  
Lunafreya was speechless, trembling like a leaf under the wind. Still, that made Nyx smile because her face was so serious. “Princess, are you alright?” He smirked, delicately touching her burning red cheek with the finger. “Don’t be like this. It’s just a stupid thing I asked housekeeping to do before we left. You’re not hurting my feelings if you don’t like it.” 

Lunafreya turned around, trying to face him but too embarrassed to actually be able too. Nyx leaned back a bit, hoping to catch her glowing blue eyes, but he could only admire her beautiful frown. 

“I’m fine.” That caused the Glaive to smile again.

“You don’t look fine.”

“Are you going to act like my husband and help me out of this dress or are you going to delay this any further?”

Nyx raised his hands in sign of surrender and suffocated another laugh to not provoke her rage more than that but decided to lower them pretty quick to cup her face. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

His tone was such a tease, Luna recognized his jerky way which made her fall in love at the very beginning. 

He kissed her sulky lips, taking less than one minute to melt away all her nervousness, which was a priority if he wanted to taste the best of her that night.

“Relax,” he ordered gently, untying her hair, which fell on her shoulders in a soft movement. She tried to obey, but it was not as easy as she expected. She grabbed his shirt, having troubles also in staying on the feet. “Take a deep breath,” he said again, kissing her slowly.

“It is hard to with your mouth on mine.”

Nyx hoped to hear her saying it because he wanted to play the same game he played when he first kissed her. Luna sighed into his mouth when Nyx lightly swept the tip of his tongue over her lower lip. Instead of pulling back, he also took advantage of the distraction to unzip her dress, making her flinch. He moved back and gave her a second to recover.

Lunafreya’s eyes were closed. Not long after closing them, she finally took the deep breath of fresh air he asked her to take and she waited like this until Nyx let his hands explore her back, lowering down the dress once for good and leaving her defenseless in front of him. He caressed her cheeks again to make her open the eyes: they were beautiful in the light of the candles, glowing like blue jewels, full of so many emotions it was hard to decipher. 

“We’re gonna take our time, Lunafreya. Nobody is rushing us.” He said, raising his eyebrows in an encouraging gesture, sweet and gentle. Luna nodded. “Trust me, okay?” 

The way the Princess let him deal the next kiss stand as a yes.

She allowed him to inebriate her senses, to fill her air with his smell, to touch her like nobody ever did before. 

That was what she wanted, after all, that was her piece of heaven, the one she decided to enjoy with him and he alone. Before the chaos, before the lost of hope, before the no turning back point she strongly believed it was about to fall on them.

\---------------------

What Lunafreya nor Nyx could know, was that in a not very far quay there in Altissia was docking a ship in that very moment. 

It was leaded by a man in a colorful leather jacket who entered in the pretty city thanks to a permission as old as him. It was not the first time he traveled that far from home, but again, he was not there for tourism. He was there to serve the boy he was carrying along as passengers, the son of one of his former best friend. 

The Chosen King. 

“Hey, Noct, look! Over there, over there!” Between the men on the ship, the blond guy, all freckles and smiles, was bubbling with excitement. He was like a child in a candy shop as he pulled Noctis’ arm to show him something in the distance. The prince was as much as trilled but his introvert personality forbid him to show it.

“I know, right. The things I can fish here …” 

“The boy should calm down before he will have an heart attack,” the big guy commented, grunting in a not very serious way as he reached for the banister of the ship, posing like a model ready for the photo shoot. Despite his gruff complaints, he enjoyed having his picture taken than he admitted.

“Come now, it is our first time in the City on the Sea and what a marvelous jewel it is. I could barely contain my own excitement.” 

“So indulgent, Iggy.”

The four of ‘em made for a funny crew, Cid said to himself as he slowed down the ship and finally stopped the engine. It was a good thing the bond of brotherhood they shared was so deep because they would have need it in the long run.  
Cid Sophiar looked at the city of Altissia, a sparkling necklace of buildings in the dark background of the night. 

He sighed, knowing that if his presentiments were even vaguely true, they really would have needed it a lot.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Altissia, where Luna was supposed to marry Prince Noctis, she decided to marry her beloved bodyguard instead. But this is not an happy ending for them, on the contrary: the wrath of the Gods falls upon them because of this act of rebellion. With all the omens against them, how can Lunafreya and Nyx get in touch with the King of Kings and prepare themselves to the final battle against the darkness?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m just getting emotional over the way this fic is turning out. I can’t even describe how I felt when I could finally write about my babies getting intimate, being happy for a(very short)while. And of course, I want to punch myself in the face for the angst I put them through, but it’s for the greatest good. This plot means so much to me, because I put in it all I wished (and never had) from the FFXV story, not only in terms of romance. 
> 
> Now enjoy also my first hint of Noctnyx: what would I have give to see them interact at least once in canon. 
> 
> \- 2 to the end. Brace yourself. Thanks to my lovely @loveiscosmicsin for the way she always transforms my crappy english into such a professional work! <3

When she realized that the softest touch was brushing her skin, Lunafreya needed a moment to recall where it was coming from. She had been used to all kind of awakenings, but never from something quite so sweet so she indulged on that feeling a bit longer before opening her eyes. Sleep still chained her down, but the effort to wake up was worth it because the end of her dreams was better than every dream she ever had.

“You’re finally awake.” 

Luna turned over on the mattress she was sleeping on and Nyx’s grey eyes were glued on her immediately, greeting her with the most tender spark of love. Did they always look so beautiful or only when he was looking at her?

“Good morning…” Her attempt of matching his level of gentleness ended abruptly when an impolite yawn escaped her.

Nyx smirked and allowed her to position herself so she would face him. Resting his head on his elbow, he kept starring at her like she was the moon and he, the wolf marveling at her in unconditional adoration, which was kind of the perfect methaphor Luna came up with on many levels.

Nyx continued to caress bare skin from her shoulders to her hips, tracing spirals on the softest spots and raising goosebumps in their wake. Who knew for how long he was doing so, she couldn’t discern.

“Did you sleep?” Lunafreya questioned after a couple of minutes when her voice was less wobbly.

Nyx shook his head. “How could I when the Princess Oracle of Eos ordered me to bed with her?” He teased her, those words flooding her head with vivid and recent memories. “Hmm, actually, my wife now. I think I can get used to saying that.”

Nyx was her husband now.They were married just the night before.

Luna remembered clearly what happened when they got back to their hotel room. They embraced each other like celestial bodies merging, joined hearts and souls untilthey were one. It was impossible to forget the feeling Nyx baring his heart to her when he used those strong hands - previously made for battle - to set her free. She opened up to him like a blooming flower and he tasted her essence, not taking for granted that he had the Oracle of Eos vulnerable under his touch.

“How do you feel now?” he asked, studying every detail of her face to look for hints to the answer. Even if he wouldn’t admit it, there was a bit of concern behind his gentleness. After all, Lunafreya had a serious disease consuming her and he feared of having hurt her with his inebriating passion instead of making her feel good.

“Sore. But…” Some memories of the night which just passed flashed in her mind, making her blush hard. Nyx noticed but kept caressing her cheek, patiently waiting. He wanted to hear her express herself in words this time. “But I would like to revisit it all over again.” 

Nyx smirked handsomely, weaving his fingers on her hair. “I think that can be arranged, don’t worry.”

“I’m sorry I fell asleep right after.”

“The disease, right?” He asked in a whisper, but didn’t wait for her to affirm it because he knew it already after all. “It’s fine. You’re cute when you’re asleep… Don’t have to worry about diving headfirst into danger like you usually do.” He was all smugness again when he leaned down to kiss her lips and her chin. Luna blinked at him then, raising an eyebrow. “And you’re cute when you’re up, of course,” he corrected himself, letting his lips tracing down her neckline. “Adds to the whole package, that’s all.”

“The things I put you through. You look so miserable.”

Nyx ignored her last sarcastic and cheesy statement, not because he didn’t have a quick remark in his arsenal, but only because he was too busy with biting her shoulder.

She gave up immediately to that, exactly like she always did, because she acknowledged since the very first time that kisses on neck were her major weakness.   
On the other hand, Nyx listened to her moaning his name with the greatest satisfaction. She did it all night and he understood it was her way to show pleasure, thing he learned to love pretty quick.

“Nyx, I’m still exhausted …” She tried to say at a certain point, like that was a plausible excuse to escape what she knew it was coming again. 

“I can fix that.”

Luna giggled and let him be for another minute, but she really was still too tired from the previous night. Like they both knew, her body was weak already because of the sickness the Gods tormented her with and even if she asked Nyx to not treat her like she’s fragile, she had to recognize her limits. For example, she needed a moment to wake up completely and recover from the continuous flows of heat he sent up her spine and stomach. If he went on like this, he would have been literally the death of her. “I’d love... to enjoy this when I am fully awake. So maybe an Ebony and a shower first would help?”

Nyx snorted, because he knew he couldn’t refuse such a reasonable request when he had accepted more insane ones in the past. 

“I’ll make breakfast,” he announced, giving her one last kiss between her breasts cheekily before getting up and pull a pair of random trousers on. 

Luna watched him go in the other part of the enormous room where a mini kitchen was located. 

She smiled in disbelief, it was hard to believe such an handsome man – a member of the Kingsglaive and bodyguard– was her husband. She couldn’t believe she was married in the first place. With all what happened, the hardships and all that transpired in their stories, for the first time, she felt like she wanted to stay in that moment forever.  
For the first time in her life, she felt happy.

 

\------------------------

 

And then, it started.

Lunafreya knew it would happened. The Gods were not to be trifled with, and it would be a tragic folly for a mortal to incite them with deliberate disobedience, either. 

On the second night of honeymoon, the rebellious Oracle received punishment for not accepting her destiny with horrible nightmares of death and destruction. Some were scattered memories of Insomnia’s fall, other were flashes of Tenebrae being subjugated. The most of them though were omens of the battle that were to come, bloody fragments of a future Lunafreya feared the most. Screaming and writhing, she tried to wake up but felt like a powerful hand pushed her back to the nightmares. The Gods did not intend to let her go. 

“Princess! Lunafreya!” That was the only voice she loved in the anguishing mix of visions she saw in front of her.

Nyx.

She tried to reach for him, in her dream and in reality, but that brought her in a state of drowsiness which was even worse. In fact, she started to feel excruciating pain, wrought by the Gods to torment her. Her screams became more acute.

“Lunafreya!” 

She couldn’t wake up, not even for him. She was chained like an animal, she felt distressed, in agony, abused. Her insides were on fire, streched by the continuous movements she waged in her hysteria.

Only at a certain moment, she felt water on her burning soul and a little relief came. She breathed heavy, putting a lot of efforts in it like her lungs were not used to fresh air anymore. 

Suddenly, gentle hands were holding all her weight and she realized she was not in the bed anymore.

“Lunafreya?”

The princess shook the head, big frown and muscles tensed. “N-Nyx...?” 

Water. Water was fresh. 

“Yes, it’s me. Can you hear me now?”

She could hear him but she didn’t understand where she was. She groped for him, pulling ahead in hope to find his body. She did. She grabbed his bare chest, his arms immediately wrapped around her. They hold to each other like they had to fuse into a single essence.   
Luna took another minute before finding enough energy to open the eyes. When she did, she noticed that they both were under the shower, naked as they were before, so she figured that Nyx took her there in the attempt to make her feel better when she started to scream. It had been a weird idea, but it unexpectedly worked: the cold water woke her up from the nightmares and eased her pain away.

She cried for the relief of being safe again in his arms, but the vivid memories of what she just passed couldn’t be forget. “Nyx…”

He kissed her forehead, somehow figuring what was happening. They should have expected it. “I’m sorry, Lunafreya.”

All the happiness he found in taking her as his wife suddenly disappeared in seeing her suffering. It was unbearable. He hated it. The anger he felt growing in his bones at the thought of the Gods tormenting her inhumanly would have been fuel on his bursting fire of determination in his upcoming decisions. 

“It’s fine. I was the one asking you to marry me and I knew it would provoke their rage. However, I don't regret my decisions.” She wanted to assure him, so he wouldn’t feel guilty for consenting at her requests of getting married.

“Those sons of…” He started but bit his own tongue. He had to sigh deeply to find some composure again. 

“I won’t give up because of them, I swear.” But those words didn’t make Nyx feel better.

“They didn’t bitch when we killed one of them so why do they even care to who you chose to be with?” He asked, voice raising in disdain. 

“Because they lost control on me indefinitely,” Luna whispered. “And if I don’t fulfill the duty they asked me to, who will at this point? They can live without a   
goddess, but they can’t accept to have their will compromised because of a rebellious Oracle.” 

Nyx looked at her enjoying a bit of relief under the shower, water drops falling from her eyelids, her mouth, her chin, all wet and vaguely distressed: her hair was just a flat mess on her neck, she still was so pale and exhausted, she had to held him as she stood on her feet. In spite of all this, he found her breathtaking. It was insane to acknowledge how deep he was growing to love her courage and determination. He was the one with the label hero, but considering what she was going through, she deserved the title as well. 

And this made clearer than ever, the strong desire that he had to protect her.

He let his anger silently grow and morph into a new form, less instinctive and more focused on the goal. Like a seed thrown into the moil soil, he cultivated the desire of action and revenge: the Astrals would pay for what they were doing to her.

—————-

They enjoyed their honeymoon the best they could, but it was no mystery how much tired Luna grew at every move she took. 

They couldn’t renounce to make love either but Nyx clearly was holding himself back all along to spare Luna any unnecessary pain and Luna hated it. She didn’t want to be considered fragile like a crystal sculpture but at the same she knew she was losing her white magic and her vital energy with each passing day, remaining powerless and defenseless. The Gods were planning to suck away all of her, punishing her for not fulfilling her duty of Oracle and for not marrying Noctis like they ordained. 

“I … don’t have the strength to heal you anymore.” Her whisper reached from close his ears one night. The Glaive was laying on the bed, enjoying the pleasant sensation of Luna’s breastsagainst his back. Their fingers were entwined in each other’s. With the free hand and curious eyes, Lunafreya was admiring the tattoos lines on his back, searching for new details, but only found a dozen old scars. 

“It doesn't matter. I didn't feel right when you did it, anyway.”

“I preferred it. Filling you with my white magic is like gifting you a part of me, and this makes me feel even closer to you.”

Nyx turned up supine which gave Luna the possibility to admire also the tattoos and scars on his stomach. Even with all the signs of the battles he endured during his time in the Kingsglaive, she couldn’t take the fingers off his blemished skin. It was the only map explaining her how hard must have been life for him too before Insomnia’s fall. 

“Wish I still had magic too, Lunafreya. All I want is to protect you and I’m not in a great spot to do it since King Regis died.”

“You protected me well to this point.”

Sometimes, Nyx highly doubted it. He felt more likean assistant than a bodyguard to her. “If I did, you would be fine.”

“That doesn’t weigh on you.”

Nyx sighed and looked away, murmuring about something unintelligible. “Whatever you and the Prince decide to do,” he said, finally. “I want to stay next to you. I want to fight for you.” 

Luna tried to hide a gasp, sign of the vivid memories of her nightmares, all ending in a bloodshed. His blood. “Maybe that won’t be necessary,” she answered, hoping he would listen, but knowing he wouldn’t.

In fact, Nyx closed himself in dark thoughts and meditations like he didn’t even heard what she was trying to say.

———–

On the fourth day they were interrupted by the knock at the door. It was too late for breakfast and too early for lunch so when it happened they were alarmed. Nyx decided to go to check but before opening he asked: 

“Who’s there?” 

When nobody answered, he gestured to Luna to be prepared and he grabbed his kukris. Out of their rooms there were always two guards in position so not hearing them answering wasn’t a good sign. With supernatural forces cursing their existence, they knew they should have been prepared for everything.

Luna quickly dressed in the first outfit she found and when she was ready, she nodded to Nyx to open the door. Breathing deeply, he did so, only to find Ravus by a hair’s breadth away from meeting his end at the Glaive’s blades. An surprised exclamation escaped from their mouths.

“Lord Ravus!” Nyx blinked. 

“Ravus!” Luna yelled.

“Lunafreya!” Ravus rarely had looked so angry as he did in that moment. 

“And Aranea! Great, everybody’s here and accounted for!” 

In such a dramatic moment, Aranea made her presence known behind the High Commander’s shoulders with her usual sarcasm. The three of them burned her down with a single look. “Sorry, you’re too ridiculous,” was her only justification before falling silent and folding arms.

“What are you doing here?” Luna asked, coming to Nyx’s side and lowering his armed hand down. Nyx was so surprised to see the High Commander that the core instincts kicked in.

Gnashing his teeth, Ravus studied their ‘essential’ outfits; Nyx was in fact shirtless and totally at his ease next the princess, shining light of their new relationship status. 

“So Aranea spoke the truth. My invitation must have been lost by the postman.” 

Luna bit her lip and tried the gentle approach to soften his disappointment. “Come inside, Ravus” she said now calm, taking him by the hand of the same flesh and blood of hers and delicately pulled him in. “Have a seat.”

For a minute nobody there believed in the remote possibility of Ravus accepting to be involved in such a tolerant conversation, but with the greatest surprise he sighed and stepped ahead.

“Find yourself a shirt,” he spat at Nyx, eyes burning with scorn and disapproval. 

“Ravus, please.” Lunafreya pushed him towards the couch, polite but firmly.

Just to avoid adding on to the inevitable drama, Nyx dressed himself and noticed Aranea’s eyes on him. “Where’s our heads-up?” He scoffed, recalling what the Commodore promised to inform them if Ravus found out about the secret wedding.

Aranea callously waved a hand. “Didn’t ask for a pinky swear on it.”

“How can you be so reckless, Lunafreya?” The High Commander started off, outraged and almost shocked. “The woman I know would never–”

“I don’t think you risked your life to see me just to express your disapproval of my marriage, brother, so let us skip the needless arguments. Shouldn’t you be with the Imperial Chancellor by now?”

Ravus couldn’t help but sigh again, taking a seat. “I will soon.” Luna and Nyx shared a quick glance, both undecided if they should reveal the true identity of Ardyn Izunia. However, since they still had not an infallible certainty about it, they decided to avoid the subject.

“He shouldn’t know you are in touch with us. If he does, the Empire could condemn you for treason.” 

“I know. But I had to come to see you. Noctis is in town, too.”

Luna’s heart plummeted in her stomach. “He is… here…” She murmured, a certain emotion in her voice, mixed with fear of the ineluctable end. The more she got closer to Noctis, the more this horrible feeling was growing strong.

Nyx received the news with a similar shock. The prince’s presence would have only changed things in ways he couldn’t control and this literally paralyzed him for a minute, intensifying the sense of powerlessness he felt all along.

“I have to go to meet him!” Luna said in the end, jumping up from the couch, ready to go. A sudden dizziness made her see blankness in front of her and she immediately fell back on the seat, almost fainting. Nyx arrived at her side even before Ravus, who still didn’t know his sister got so much worse in so little time.

“What ails you, sister? You were to be restored after the Glacian’s death, are you not?” He asked, confused.

“It looks like the Gods figured their time of manipulating her was running out and they got angry,” Nyx replied, causing Ravus to snap out angrily.

“You should have known that the Astrals are not to be mocked, Lunafreya.”

Yes, she knew it, her reasons were something that her brother couldn’t understand so she didn’t waste time in explaining him. She just turned to him, her eyes big and sparkling blue, touched by different kind of pain. 

“I beg of you please… See the ring to Noctis on my behalf.” She took the precious ring out from a small pocket and with the shaking hand she offered it to her brother. “Nyx helped me in carrying it once. If Noctis truly is in Altissia as you said, I need your help. Already, my flesh has begun to fail me and I cannot do it anymore.”

Ravus took a long minute to think over what she said, completely taken by surprise. His eyes were the reflection of his inner hesitation and personal struggle. How long he craved for that ring but now his sister was offering it to him without any condition, convinced he was deemed worthy to carry it. 

“No, I cannot accept it. By your hand, it must be done.” Luna opened her mouth in doleful surprise, the hope for his support left her helpless. She had to look away to hide the tears. “To deliver the ring and to inspire the king is your calling. You mustn’t fail.”

“But I lack the strength to go on.”

For Ravus, saying the following words was harder than expected, because even if he always loved his sister he was not used to support her duty. This time he did though, because her mission changed and had a sense now as never before and so he whispered:  
“Find it, Lunafreya. You have the will.” He took her delicate hand in his steel one like he didn’t want to let it go ever again. “Go to Noctis. Give him the Ring, destroy who’s trying to destroy you. Change your fate. Show him the truth of your heart.”

In Lunafreya’s eyes appeared a vortex of emotions in the slow realization that if she fulfilled her duty like the omens told her to, she would have left her brother alone on this earth too. Now that they were starting to understand each other again, the thought was unbearable. 

“Where is Noctis?” She asked, gathering the courage for what she had to. 

“He should be at the Leville, but I suggest you to wait a couple of days before meeting him for the Empire knows your location. Somehow the information slipped through the ranks and the Emperor Aldercapt wanted to come and get you. If it were not for Chancellor Izunia, who encouraged him to not create chaos out of Claustra’s provocation, you would have been arrested already. You have to use caution or you shall put Noctis in danger as well.” Those notions creeped Lunafreya, especially now that she understood Izunia’s real identity. What game was he playing? Not knowing the answer was restricted her severely, unable to forsee and anticipate the enemy’s actions.

“But I have to see Noctis as soon as possible. Too many things could happen in just a couple of days and waiting is not an option if we have to organize our next move. We need to act quickly. We can’t rely on the notebook to discuss these kind of things either.”

“I had no intelligence that the Empire is aware of Noctis’ position. But if you go to meet him at this point, the Empire will follow, seizing and thwarting your opportunity to act.”  
Ravus using logic was frustrating for his sister, but Gods, he was right.It threw her back to that moment when she stood before King Regis and he pleaded with her to go to Noctis. She held firm in denying his command, balling up her fist and steeled her tone lest it betrayed her. She couldn't go to Noctis then and certainly couldn't now, the risk was all too great. Luna could ultimately see Altissia suffer a fate all too similar to Insomnia's and seal the prince's demise if she went.

“What am I to do now? King Regis entrusted me to see the ring to the prince...”

“I’ll go.” Nyx offered. He waited in silence until now, not missing a single word of the conversation but now he straightened his shoulders courageously, ready to enter in action. 

Luna boggled and looked at him. “No, it’s too dangerous!”

“Yeah, if you go. It’s just passing the ring, not infilitrating a base.”

Ravus got spiteful. “Why should you go? You have no matter in this.”

Nyx glanced at him with a certain degree of grudge but he knew his answer and didn’t hesitate when he said: “I’m her protector. I can still act in her best interests and not getting her killed is something we all want, right? Better to risk my life than the princess’.”

But Luna didn’t agree. Reaching for his hand and grabbing it tightly, she replied, “Nyx, Ravus just said we have the Empire breathing down on our necks and you know very well what this could mean. I don’t want you to risk unnecessary and direct confrontation without aid.”

“Relax, I’ll be fine. Nobody’s gonna worry about a grunt like me out there. You though, just sit tight until I get back. At least your brother and Claustra can protect you for now. I’ll get in touch with Prince Noctis and send him your message. Besides, this isn’t just for you, it’s for my future king.”

“A message would not be enough. There are things I must personally discuss with him. There isa possibility he would not approve of what we are trying to accomplish. He would bear the consequences of my failure.”

“And how well you know that?” Nyx smirked, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “When was the last time you saw him in person? I’m sure he’ll trust you, I can feel it in my gut and my gut’s never wrong.” He squeezed her hand. “But you have to trust me, Lunafreya. Let me go for you.” 

“Nyx, I’m frightened. What if my premonitons come true?” 

“We know the risks. We just gotta keep going, right?” 

Luna shook head for a long minute, but the more the time passed the more she realized she could trust her husband only to be a good ambassador. And the awareness of this thought colored her eyes with a different shade of sadness. She couldn’t protect her brother nor Nyx by just keeping them away from harm. She just had to accept the support they were voluntarily offering her and get along with the consequences. They were into that mess too deeply to go back now.

“…Right.” Luna whispered with the broken breath. “It’s all now or never.” Nyx nodded and in seeing his fervor she took a final decision. “Fine, you’ll go to meet Noctis in my place.” 

“I’ll show you where the boyband are,” Aranea said, somehow expecting what would have been the final decision and getting along with it pretty quickly.

Luna glanced at her, scared by that instantaneous offer. “Let us have… a little more time,” she begged then looked at Nyx, feeling her own heart panicking at the idea of having her last moments with him.

She craved long for the happiness of being with him and wished to live every single instant of it, even if she knew that would have only make harder to be part when the time would have come. And so it was. Not even years of mental preparation would have make her feel ready to let him go. 

Aranea bit her lip, compassion capillary invading her. She felt bad for the two newlyweds separated by duty and destiny.

“Tomorrow, then?” Luna sighed, morally forced to accept the concession.

“Tomorrow.”

Maybe one last night was all they needed.

———-

“Don’t let me sleep tonight.”

Nyx chuckled and tried to be light tone when he answered with a simple, “All right” which sounded callous, but he gave her his word. 

It was good when Luna took initiative, it was even better, actually. Nyx loved to see the way she glued to every inch of him, in desperate need of affection, clingy and adorable even when she probably wanted to be defined sensual and provocative. She was that, too. She was a lot of things, after all.

“If it’s our last night together, I don’t want to miss a moment.”

“I’ve fought more battles than I can count and I made it all right. Maybe I’ll get to crack a cold one with the prince when I see him,” he said that jokingly. But behind his careless affirmations, Nyx himself knew that not even the most bloody battle he fought could have been compared with was in store for them. It was not just a 'talk with the Prince’. Their mission was of a completely different level this time and since he had no magic anymore he was almost defenseless in front of it all. 

“Come back to me. Promise me.” 

Nyx wrapped her with his strong arms, pulling her close to feel her thrill, throwing the fingers in her hair and his breathing was hers.

“I promise.”

——–

They discussed the details of the message to send to Noctis and calculated every possible risk of the mission, coming out with a good plan. They couldn’t do more than that.  
There was no way to fully prepare of the unpredictable hurdles of the destiny that awaited them.

When sunrise approached, coloring the horizon with shades of pink and brought light upon the majestic buildings of Altissia, Nyx and Luna barely slept. To warm the muscles a bit, Nyx decided to have some morning exercises and Luna assisted him in that as well. 

“Just so we’re clear, yours was a bad idea,” Nyx murmured, when he found himself kissing her neck from behind, slipping a hand up on her thigh and sinking the fingers into her soft skin, driven with need. She bowed her head to the side, to ease his moves, closing her eyes in pure pleasure. 

“Basing exercises around situations in which we may end up fighting on the ground was one thing. But using the bed as a place of instruction was your idea, not mine. I’m but a hapless maiden who fell to my lover’s ploy.”

Nyx smirked. “You know I love your legs, Your Highness. I just can’t get my hands off them.” The whisper at her ear make her shiver. "You're irresistable."

“Aranea could be here in a matter of time. You…” Her smile died when she faced reality. “You should get ready.”

That was it. 

Their time was over.

From a smirk to a grimace, it took Nyx a matter of seconds to compose himself. He breathed deeply and with the heavy heart, he parted from her to look for his uniform somewhere on the chair. Luna took a moment to realize how empty and cold she felt every time he broke the embrace, agonizing over the idea of not having him back any soon. Maybe never again. 

As Nyx finished to dress up, someone knocked at the door.

“Sorry, lovebirds. It’s time.” It was Aranea’s voice. Nyx and Luna didn’t answered or moved like they were frozen into realization. They shared a shy glance and Nyx finally went to open the door.

“Thought you were still asleep,” the woman commented. Even if she tried to keep a straight face, she clearly felt bad for being there in the first place. Considering she was a mercenary at the Empire’s gil, she was a sensible woman, that Aranea.

“I’m almost ready. Gimme a sec.”

He went back to Luna. She was sitting on the bed, her only nightgown covering her beautiful skin, the hair loosen on the shoulders and the eyes glimmering with pain.   
Nyx kneeled in front of her and took her hands in his.

“It’s not good-bye, Lunafreya. I’m your man till the end. I told you that already.” He whispered, looking for the beautiful eyes he learned to love in these months. He wanted to take that memory with him before he left. 

 

Lunafreya nodded and took his hands to her lips, kissing them earnestly. “I know. You promised to come back.”

“And that I will.” 

One last kiss, full lips filled with love and then he was gone.

———-

Aranea would have been a good support in case they were discovered by the imperial soldiers but fortunately, nothing happened on the way. 

“Prince Charming’s a sleepy-head so I’m pretty sure him and Shortcake aren’t up yet. The bodyguard and strategist told me where they’re staying. Not sorry to say that I can’t tag along. It’s a huge risk that we’re even having this conversation out here. I’ve been in this line of work and out to know how much I can take and when to back out.”

“Aranea, it’s fine. Thanks for the help.”

“Sorry I can’t do more.” And she really was. 

“We’ll take it from here. You already got enough on your plate.” Nyx said, adjusting nervously the kukris on his back. His eyes scanned the perimeter, looking for the expected danger. 

Maybe they were lucky enough for the Empire not to notice their suspicious movements, but if Ardyn Izunia was who Lunafreya thought he was, he surely would have not be fooled by some easy measures of caution. He had the feeling of being followed, too and he couldn’t decide between the actual sensation from a simple paranoia. 

Aranea lead him next the hotel, taking an hidden road through a dark courtyard. Then she suggested him to entered from the kitchen exits. 

“Here’s where we part ways.Think you can handle getting there on your own?”

Nyx raised an eyebrow. “Which room?”

“Last floor. I hope they had money enough to pay for the suite.”

“Not sure about that?”

“Does it look like I got their number on speed dial? They’re charming men, but that’s not enough for them to pass beyond an after-thought.” Nyx smirked, not envying any man who dared to ever tried to flirt with her. She was a tough lass.

“It’s fine. I’ll find them, somehow. Thanks, Aranea. Be safe.”

The woman nodded, hiding a smile. “You’re the one who should watch his back.”

“I will.”

They parted with a last glance and Nyx left, but didn’t entered into the kitchens like Aranea suggested.

With the only help of his kukris and the strength of his arms, he started to climb the smooth walls of the hotel.

————

He reached the balcony, cursing underneath his breath how much he missed having his warping powers. Sweat was dripping down his neck already, but he kept going, using all the strenght he had in reserve. Drautos had taught him endurance during better times. He almost fell down when he slipped on a tile, but thank the Stars, he was able to find purchase on the gutter. Falling from that height would have mean having legs broken in two for sure. 

When he finally hoisted himself over, he found immediately a long dagger pointed at his throat. He swallowed.

“Enchanting uniform, I wonder who did you kill to have it.” The tone of the voice which addressed to him was classic, elegant, yet sharp and witty. Nyx turned eyes to watch his aggressor and recognized the prince’s young advisor in him. He didn’t remember the name, but he saw him from afar a couple of times, attentively supervising his protected moves. 

“How the hell did you hear me?” Nyx couldn’t help but ask.

“A member of the Kingsglaive wouldn’t have been so noisy in climbing some simple hotel walls. Unless…”

“Unless he doesn’t have magic anymore King Regis’ death.”

The advisor kept a straight face as he lowered the blade. “My apologies. You must be a member of the Kingsglaive. I’ve seen you somewhere too. Your name is…?”

“Nyx Ulric. One of the last members of the Kingsglaive unit, maybe the last. Haven’t been in touch with anyone else in a while and I lost count of how many of us died. Now I work for Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, and I brought her message. I need to see Prince Noctis.”

“Lady Lunafreya. Is she safe?”

“She is for now, but I really need to talk about it with Prince Noctis.”

“Yes, he’s inside, but I will have to wake him up, for he’s still sleeping.”

“Aranea told me he would.” The young man wide opened in the eyes hearing that name. 

“You met with Aranea too?” 

“Yes. Thanks to her info, I didn’t get the wrong balcony. So can we skip the interrogation now and just…?” 

Ignis Scientia - Nyx discovered later that this was the name of the Advisor - bowed a little, like mentioning the mercenary’s name was enough to win over his last doubts and wanted to apologize. 

“Come inside,” he said, leading the way. Another young man was there near the balcony’s entrance and immediately stood up in defensive when he saw Ignis with a Glaive.

“What the–?” The way his hand automatically slipped towards his huge sword made Nyx recognize the military education he was grown with. He must have been the King’s Shield, Gladiolus Amicitia.

“He has a message from Lady Lunafreya. Let’s wake Noctis up immediately,” Ignis explained, leaving Nyx and Gladiolus there in the living room and going to look for the prince in another chamber of the suite. 

The waiting was very anti-climatic. Gladiolus was not much taller than Nyx but he was indifferent to Nyx and sized him up, which really didn’t help. The Glaive chose to respect formalities just in case so he straightened up in a military salute and introduced himself.

“Nyx Ulric, Kingsglaive elite. I was charged by King Regis himself to see Princess Lunafreya safe to Altissia.” Only then Gladiolus relaxed a bit.

“You survived Insomnia.” Even if Gladiolus wanted to act cool, his eyes were showing a kind of pain Nyx knew well: who knows who did he lost there to be that sad.  
Nyx was about to answer when he heard the door open and three figures appeared in the room.

Ignis was back with the Prince and another blond guy Nyx never saw before.  
In spite of the message he was carrying, when Nyx crossed eyes with Noctis, he sighed in relief and his heart got lighter. He was genuinely so happy to see him alive and well. 

“Your Majesty.” He bowed and the silence filled the room.   
Being that an unexpected situation for all of them, it was hard to find the words to comment it. It took a lot to Noctis to assembling the pieces of what was happening.

“Ignis told me you… have a message from Luna.” His voice was uncertain and kind of childish, not exactly the one the King of Kings was expected to have. Yet, it was pleasant to listen to.

It was strange to hear him calling Lunafreya by her simple nickname. Only King Regis did the same before and it implied a considerable amount of familiarity Nyx only could imagine. Strangely enough, he didn’t get jealous because of it. It was just a cute name the princess was labeled with one in her childhood.

“Yeah. I’m Nyx Ulric and I served your father after Galahd was taken by the Niffs. I was charged with the princess’ safety by King Regis himself before General Glauca murdered him.” The Glaive kept it at that, not revealing who Glauca truly was. Perhaps Drautos wasn’t even his real name given his true allegiance, but it went undeniable that he was close to the royal family either way.

At that, dark shadows loomed over Noctis’ face. Until a second before he looked like a confused kid, uncomfortable with every kind of attention, but now a spark of pain lit his face and turned him into a serious young man, broken by burdens he shouldn’t have carried in the first place.

“General Glauca?” 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Were you there when it happened?” His voice was barely audible even in the thickest silence. 

“Yes. The princess was there, too. We fled in time but the king stayed behind to guarantee us a safe escape. He… He just knew all this would happen.”

“Did he?” This time Noctis clenched, pain mixed with an unexpected anger Nyx couldn’t understand.

“He did what he did to save the future of Eos. To save you. He believed you would have been our only Savior. Princess Lunafreya thinks the same but things have changed and she wished me to inform you of it.”

Nyx didn’t wait any longer and explained how he and the princess escaped from Insomnia, how she stuck with her duty of waking up the Astrals at the beginning and how she discovered the deception behind it in the end. He told the prince about the illness Luna was affected with and how killing the Glacian became a necessary act of force in order to see beyond the cruelest lies the Gods were blinding them with.  
The more he went on with the story, the more Nyx found difficult to avoid to mention the love affair in which he and Lunafreya got involved, but he succeeded in the end. The prince nor his friends suspected anything, which was good for now: Nyx had come that far only to carry the most important message and every other news would have only divert the attention from it.

“This is… Terrible.” Prompto - this was the name of the blonde guy who stayed close to the prince all along - seemed particularly shocked by what Nyx told them. Ignis and Gladio looked stronger in their own ways while Noctis stood in silence, confused.

“The princess wanted to give you the Ring personally but couldn’t risk being captured by the Empire. They were on her since she arrived here.”

Nyx finally stepped ahead and took off the pocket the little chain where the Ring of Lucis was positioned as a pendant. He wore that unusual necklace once when Luna asked him to and he reluctantly accepted it, knowing well what that Ring meant for the future of the world. The memory belonged to what felt like ages ago, but probably it was only two months before. Time has passed so quickly.

“I… understand.” Noctis hesitated for a second, but then he took the precious ring and put it closer to his heart. Memories were running wild for him too, for sure.

Noctis sat on the couch now, hands joined in front of him, nervously shivering from time to time. “Nyx Ulric. What can I do to save her?” he asked in the end.

Nyx - which still was standing in a military position - was happy to hear him asking exactly that question. It meant they had the same goal. 

“The supernatural powers of the Gods are the issue, since they use it for their own mischievous purposes and not to bless the men. If we take down the rest of them, nobody will ever torment the princess ever again.”

“The Gods always cursed and blessed mankind, changing destiny whenever they thought it was right. We can’t simply eliminate them without destroying a delicate balance in the same time” Ignis said, arms crossed, sat down next to Noctis.

“We shouldn’t allow them to perform their revenge on our own expense, either.” Gladio protested, harsh tone. He was a protector, exactly like Nyx was, of course, their line of thoughts was similar.

Noctis sighed, his hazy blue eyes looking at the palms of his hands like they could suggest him what to do.

“Titan and Ramuh… They already gave me their blessing. They helped me in numerous battles.”

Nyx bit his lips before replying, “Yeah, using the magic they stole from Lady Lunafreya.”

Noctis shook his head, he was upset by the idea. “This is ridiculous…” he murmured, hands in the hair. His temples burned like on fire.

“Your Majesty, Lady Lunafreya didn’t forget her duty, but at the same time, she doesn’t want to be used and thrown away by evil creatures. She sent me here to tell you she’ll wake Leviathan up, only to have a better chance to kill her like we did with Shiva. However, there are forces beyond our control who will try to stop her from doing that. Now that the Empire has the Crystal, it wants to have the powers of the Kings of Lucis, too. Furthermore, the Usurper she told me about wants you to reclaim your throne only to complete his revenge on your dynasty so he won’t like the idea of the princess killing the Astrals either.” Nyx lowered his tone, like his request became a plea. “If you won’t support her in her plan, she’ll lose for sure.” 

Noctis seemed to have a controversial interior struggle evident on his face. “I trust Luna,” he said in the end.

“But will the power of the Kings contained in the Ring be enough to defeat the darkness?” Ignis couldn’t help but ask.

“We will make it enough,” Gladio closed fists and tried to hide his uncertainty with a smirk. 

“Defeating darkness without the help of the Gods…” mumbled the blond guy, eyes filled with uncertainty and fear he looked used to hide. He was an interesting boy, but Nyx could notice from afar he was wearing some kind of mask and wondered what could it be. He didn’t seem minacious though. “Killing the Gods… sounds crazy!”

“The Ring of the Lucii is now in your hands, Your Majesty, and so is the future of the world" Nyx said, ignoring him. "The princess wishes to tell you more about it.” 

“About the Ring? What should she tell me?”

Nyx waited, undecided how playing the Ring card exactly. Telling the Prince about how dangerous it was for his own life was Lunafreya’s duty, not his. He only had to deliver it to him and motivate him to trust her in order to make things as smoother as possible. 

“The First Secretary gave us the green light to wake the Hydraean up and if you will be there too, Princess Lunafreya will finally meet you.” In the midst of the tension, a soft smile was spotted on Noctis’ face.

“So we’re good to go?” Nyx answered to the smirk, bowing a little.

“Sort of.” Noctis stood up from the couch, his expression looked troubled again. “I need some time to think about it.” 

The way he said it made Nyx’s heart aching in pity. The prince he had in front of him was not ready to be the King he expected, he was still a kid and forced to make the tough calls. In spite of that obvious innocence in his eyes, everyone in the room was expecting him to react like a King, deciding for the fate of the entire world. That was hardly fair to require. Nyx wished to protect the spark of light in his eyes and to guarantee him a safe future, knowing he probably couldn’t. He wondered if the Prince’s journey companions were worried about it as much as he was. 

Nyx let his gaze wonder in the room in time to notice Ignis swallowing hard and glancing at Gladiolus visibly tensing up. Yes, he was not the only worried one for the prince’s future.

“Your Highness,” Nyx suddenly started, the growing sense of duty he always felt for the Lucian Royal Family raging in his veins like a thunder storm. In that very moment, memories of when he first arrived in Insomnia crowded his mind, pushing him to a limit of devotion he barely could imagine to reach. He remembered how scattered he felt when he arrived there after Galahd’s destruction. He lost everything, family, home, hope; and even if nothing could entirely replace them, King Regis was there for him to repay the price of what he was forced to leave behind in Galahd. King Regis welcomed him in the Capital, gave him a home, a job, a sort of new family. He gave him magic. It was nothing like back in his homeland, but at the same time it was enough. The scars on his heart and skin would have never disappeared but King Regis made at least the burden bearable.

In that very moment, Nyx couldn’t help but transfer the loyalty and sense of gratitude he felt once for Regis to his son, like it was Noctis himself the one who save him from despair. 

Nyx swallowed.“I will fight for you, Highness, like I fought for your father before.” 

The sincerity in his eyes surprised Noctis, because even if he remembered his face from his daily life in Insomnia, they never interact long enough to explore their personalities and come to respect each other. The next move from Nyx surprised the young Prince even more. The Glaive stepped ahead and fell on his knee, bowing in front of him.

A normal gesture of devotion like that would have been normal in a throne room, but felt different and somehow weird in the chambers of an hotel in a foreign city.

Noctis almost flinched. Then something happened.

On Nyx’s chest, an unusual glow appeared like a fire spark ignited by his own heart, shining as a warm flame and silent as a whisper. Gladio, Ignis and Prompto boggled at the same time, knowing pretty well what was happening. It happened to each of them before and the meaning of it had a lot of implications. Nobody saw it coming.   
Nyx opened his eyes to realize it too. With the opening hand, he tried to reach for the orange fireflies in front of him and contemplating them in awe. And then, a sudden and more powerful spark and the Glaive felt it.

His magic was back.

  
\-----------------------

Words could not express the burst of joy he felt when he left the hotel by using his kukri to warp away from the balcony.

He actually let go a laugh, too excited to be able to conceal the relief. After hitting the tiles of Altissia’s street with his knees, he jumped up again and looked at his hands like they belonged to another man. It was amazing, he didn’t feel so powerful in an eternity. Yes, an eternity. So much time seemed to have passed since he last warped. He missed his magic like a bird would miss wings and now he had it back he felt like his contribution to the princess’ mission wouldn’t have been superfluous anymore. 

He looked back at the balcony he just left and saw the small group of boys with Prince Noctis as leader greeting him with a last wave of the hand. Nyx nodded back, in sign of understanding and then started to trot away, headed back to Lunafreya.

The Glaive was bonded to royalty once more, magic loaned by the Kings’ blood as it was just some months before. The utter loyalty to the specific members of the Crown was the only requirement to have such an incredible power and by meeting Noctis in his new role of leader the spontaneous ritual could finally take place in Nyx’s case once again. 

The Glaive didn’t planned any of this when he came but now couldn’t wait to go back to Lunafreya and tell her the surprising news.

He would have tell her that the deal was done, that Noctis was ready to fight by her side agaist the Empire, the Gods and the Darkness. He would have tell her that he had his magic back somehow and that he was finally ready to protect her like he always wanted to. And more important than anything, he would have tell her in person. No harm came upon him so her omens were generally untrue. 

He smiled.

He couldn’t wait to pull her close against his skin again and to kiss her soft lips until she would have forget how to breathe. The only idea sent static upon his spine and pulled him to run faster. 

Maybe it was right that electric feeling which screwed him in the end, because it occupied his mind and clouded his eyes long enough for him to not notice the danger.

The bullet whizzed into his shoulder faster than his wit. 

His sight lost lucidity. 

He didn’t even feel the pain before someone hit him again, this time from a closer distance, making him lose consciousness.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quick showdown in Altissia separated the newly wed Lunafreya Nox Fleuret and Nyx Ulric. She must fullfill her duty as Oracle. He must survive and go back to protect her. New allies and new enemies will come in their way, so in the chaos that follows, what will the future bring to them all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me long because I’m making so many things for the lunyx week! I also started to write two new lunyx fics etc, so please, please FORGIVE ME! >.< I hope this chapter will make amends. I’m publishing it before the week, so you will have time to read it.
> 
> Speaking of the chaper … Action and angst. My jam. I had to rewrite some scenes after seeing Ignis’ episode trailer, where Ravus appears too xD I also wanted to show more Luna and Nyx in their roles (especially Luna. Damn, that last update really ruined her more and I needed to go back to a more KG version of her, where she actually does stuff without whining), so yeah, I hope I did it good? More action!Luna is yet to come anyway. Let me know. 
> 
> The next chapter should be the final one. OMG.

Luna must have fainted at some point for she woke up on the couch, exhausted and covered in sweat. She had experienced terrible nightmares as always, but this time waking up and realizing that Nyx wasn’t back yet felt even worse.

Out of the window, the sun was setting alread, or maybe it was the dawn of the day after, she couldn’t tell and this made her panic. If she wasn’t able to understand what time was it, how could she know if it was the case to be worried or not?

She asked the soldiers guarding her room but they didn’t see the Glaive return. He was away for more or less 15 hours. Luna thanked them and shut the door behind her. Once she was alone with her fears, she started to cry.

——–

The worst part was not knowing what happened to him. 

Luna waited until midnight on a chair on the balcony, biting her nails to the quick. Her fingers bled when she bit too deep, and all she could do was weigh the possibilities of what could’ve happened. Maybe he was caught by the Imperials. Maybe Noctis thought he was a traitor under Kingsglaive fatigues. Maybe he was killed. Her mind screened and examined dozen of awful scenarios, where her husband got trapped, betrayed, tortured and even assassinated, and in each of them she felt like it was her fault. 

The torment born by these nihilistic thoughts brought anything but peace and nobody was there to offer her comfort. In fact, after their last discussion, Ravus decided that it was too risky to stay in touch with her sister and was now probably too disposed with the Empire to actually care about his new brother-in-law. Luna wished to ask Aranea, but had no way to contact her. 

And so, Luna realized that she was alone.

“You just have to go on with the plan and do what you gotta,” Nyx had whispered in her ear during their last night together after loving her thoroughly and passionately. “You have your duty. Coming back to you is mine.”

Awakening Leviathan. Kill her and also the other Gods. Defeat the Darkness together with Noctis.   
Nyx strongly believed that she was able to accomplish such an absurd and extremely dangerous mission, even without his help. 

The amount of faith he placed in her was unbelievably huge, but he had always been right about her. Even in so little time, he was able to know her better than she ever knew herself. She believed that she had the power in winning this battle because of him, heard it until it resounded throughout her entire being. Luna wouldn’t let him down no matter what came to pass.

—–

When the dawn came, Luna knew her husband was lost, perhaps forever. 

Her heart was shattered in thousand pieces, but none of that matter now. She had a duty to see through and couldn’t let her own irremediably compromised feelings tear her down before it.  
She was the Princess Oracle, no, she was the Queen Oracle like her mother before her and she carried the voice that only the Gods would adhere to. 

She had to look at things in the right perspective, focus on her priorities. She tasted a piece of heaven thanks to Nyx, but now he was gone and she had to do what Eos expected her to, Nyx included.   
Wiping away her tears with closed fists and nerves taunt as tight ropes, Luna would not falter – not now, not ever.

——–

Nyx was engulfed in nothing but pain and darkness.

It was like someone was tearing his skin off, piece after piece slowly, starting with his arm. He wished to have his arm torn off once for all so he wouldn’t have to bear that constant agony, but the relief didn’t come until an immeasurable amount of time later. 

Nyx couldn’t understand when or how, but he started to breathe again and was able to open his eyes. 

Even before realizing where he was, his first thought went to Lunafreya. Where was she now? What did she thought when she didn’t see him coming back and what did she do afterwards? If he was still alive, he had to go back to her at any cost.

But wherever she was, it had to be better than his situation.

The place he was caged in was nothing but a dark dungeon with cold walls and only a small window on the ceiling. Hewas chained by the wrists behind the back.   
His shoulder still hurt like hell, but as he tried to stand on his feet from the supine position he was, he noticed that also his entirebody was sore. Nothing alike the miserable condition he was some time ago anyway. 

“You shouldn’t exert yourself,” said someone in a matter-of-fact tone. “I so kindly pulled you from death’s cold embrace so you don’t meet such a tragic end. Need time to gather your bearings? By all means, you shall have it.” 

Nyx boggled at the sound of that mellifluous and cruel voice, it was like a creepy music which sent shivers upon his spine. Even at cost of terrible pain, the Glaive turned to watch his interlocutor. 

“You…!” He said, recognizing Chancellor Ardyn Izunia himself leaning on the wall and waiting for his awakening. 

“Me? Judging by your tone, I assume you recognize me.” He whispered melodiously. “Excellent. I dislike frivolous formalities immensely. We can speak simply, you and I.”

Nyx gnashed his teeth, trying to stand up. He just didn’t have the strength to, barely managing to move a few inches that his restraints allowed. “You healed me?”

“You may be surprised of how many people I used to heal back in my time though I might be a tad rusty at it now. Feel the drawbacks, yes?”

“Why?” 

“Because I don’t fancy conversing with corpses. To put it plainly, dead men tell no tales.”

Nyx was finally able to sit, his ribs protesting like they were broken in two and a wave of nausea struck him even if there was nothing inside his stomach to dispel the sensation. “I guess this is the Imperial way of getting someone’s attention?” He brought his chained wrists to his sides, gingerly brushing where the bullet went through. “Dunno if I even wanna know what happens when you guys get friendlier than this.”

Ardyn Izunia moved too, his unhurried gait held an air of pompous clairvoyance and the aloofness of a grand chessmaster.

“Magitek troops are neccessary pawns, but simply incompetent. They know no other way to stop a Glaive but to shoot first. They lack the foresight to consider much else.“

"So using Lunafreya’s notebook and pretending to be Prince Noctis to corner her was probably your idea, huh?”

“You recognized my style! I’m glad to hear that and well, you can’t say that wasn’t genius.” When Nyx raised an eyebrow at the word ‘genius’, the Chancellor added quickly, “Lower your suspicions now. I hold nothing but the deepest regard for men like you, Nyx Ulric. Men who are brave enough to stab the Frostbearer in the name of love. You remind me of myself when I was your age and maybe this is the reason why the Gods are not fond of you. But I do. In fact, the last person who dared to challenge the Astrals was myself so impatience drove me to meet you in person. To see that spark in someone’s eyes.”

“What do you really want?” asked Nyx, not liking his insinuations and starting to loose his coolness. The wound on his shoulder was gone, but the pain left him exhausted and wasn’t in the mood for his mind tricks. 

“I want to help you.”

Nyx grimanced. “I don’t buy that one bit.”

“But what if I told you that as soon as I heard about the Glacian’s tragic end, I brought the Crystal to Altissia so your lovely princess could awaken the Infernian and the Draconian?”

Nyx narrowed his eyes and held his breath, studying the chanchellor’s expression to determine if anything expressed had a ring of truth to them. There must have been a catch somewhere, he knew it. Ardyn’s eyes were glowing with the cruelest light, it was like a purple and malicious spark, able to creep the hell out of Nyx. He couldn’t trust his words. “Isn’t what you wanted?” The chancellor continued, appealing to Nyx’s true desire, “To kill all the Six and free the innocent princess from their devices?” 

“It is. But I also want to save my King and Eos from the grip of Darkness.”

“Ah, and that’s where, hero. However, I’m not apathetic to your distress, I’ll give you an inestimable opportunity. Consider it a sign of gratitude for killing the Glacian once and for all in my place. Without her divine intromission and the other Astrals’ help, the Chosen King will be in the palm of my hand.”

“What… are you talking about?”

“I can protect the Princess Oracle when she wakes the rest of the Six. I can lend her my power so she will quickly end them. Speaking of ‘her’, I mean your 'wife’.” Izunia stopped to admire with a corrupted smile Nyx’s surprised expression. “Yes, I know that too. What an admirable act of courage, to get marry in order to escape from the destiny the Gods chose for her. But now, don’t throw your bliss away. If you allow me to protect her, I can offer you an everlasting future by her side.”

Nyx instinctively shook his head. “What are you asking me in exchange?” 

The chancellor gesticulated with his hand, trying to look casual. “Nothing. After your princess kills the Six, you can take her and flee. You can take her wherever you wish, no one shall ever oppose you ever again.”

Nyx smiled, but he was not amused at all. His mind caught the evil beyond the apparent endeavor of looking lenient. “You only want Lunafreya out of the way.” 

Ardyn Izunia pretended to look offended, a mock gasp before chuckling, “Oh! You presumemy beautiful gift as something terrible!”

“Afraid of her, too, aren’t you? You’re right to. Just wait to see what she and Prince Noctis are gonna bring to your sorry ass.” 

Ardyn Izunia wasn’t one to know Nyx’s insolence and to tolerate those of his ilk. His playful smile turned into the pure personification of evil as his face lit of a mischievous glow Nyx would be better to fear. “You may live to regret your words.”

“The only thing I would regret is to free my princess from the demons of her past only to force her again under a far more heavy remorse. She would never accept your offer and neither will I.” 

Speaking such a reckless statement with a defiant grin painted on his lips earned Nyx a backhand slap to the face. The strength beyond it was so supernatural that the Glaive couldn’t help but fell back on the floor, blood spilling from his nose and lip. He didn’t emit a single whine though. He was not so easy to break. 

“So be it. You chose to be the one to experiment regret: because of you, I will kill your beloved wife before Gods do.” That was the only sentence which was able to sweep away the smirk from Nyx’s sore face. No physical pain nor personal menace couldn’t be compared with the fear of seeing Luna being hurt because of him.

“You can’t win this battle, Ardyn Izunia. They won’t let you.”

But Ardyn didn’t bother to reply. He just took his hat off and bowed a little, leaving him there, chained and worried. It was his turn to smirk smugly, like he already won it all.

—————

Luna decided to step out from her safe hiding place to perform the rite of awakening the Hydraean.   
She sent a short message to First Secretary Claustra to inform her of that, and received a visit from her correspondent.

“Your groom?” she asked, taking a sit on the empty chair in the luxurious room of the Princess.

“Not here,” Lunafreya answered, glacial expression and posture elegantly composed. She was dressed in the beautiful white dress Nyx bought her in Lestallum, her make-up was on and her trident was ready to be used. She wear her mask perfectly, exactly like it has been all those years. If she didn’t hold on to such an appearance she wouldn’t be able to hide her heartbreak. Nobody was allowed to see the pain beyond. 

“I met with Prince Noctis this morning,” Camelia stated, trying to look professional. Her eyes hid a evil glow though, but Luna knew she wouldn’t be cause of trouble, not until she and Altissian people would have been safe. “He told me he received a message from you and that you would have asked me to perform the ritual to awake the Hydraean.”

Luna boggled, her words slicing through her like a knife. If Noctis received her message, it meant that Nyx succeed in his mission. So whatever happened to him, happened after that. She stood in silence to mask her anxiety from Camelia.

“We’ve sealed a deal. You can have your ritual. But I want my people to be protected.” 

Luna was relieved to hear that was her condition.

“It’s reasonable.”

“We decided to evacuate the city but we’re going to need time. Now you will have a speech where you reassure people of having the situation under control. By the voice of the Oracle, Altissia will listen and evacuate promptly. My only plea wouldn’t help.”

“I can do so.”

“And tomorrow you will call for the Goddess of the Sea, not before noon. This time should be enough for a correct evacuation. The Prince’s friends are gonna help.” There was a small pause where Luna took a deep breath and forced herself to keep a straight face up. She had to focus on the real goal.

“What is the Empire going to say about your intromission in this situation?”

“The Empire knows the Accordo government will do anything to protect its people, so if we organize the evacuation they won’t be in the position to say anything. Regarding me protecting you, this is a personal business they will never know of. Furthermore, it was only a temporary solution. In fact, from now on, you will be on your own. Accordo is not going to protect you when the speech will start, nor it will during the ritual on the altar. You, Prince Noctis and the Empire will be allowed to do whatever you want on our territory once people are safe, but we won’t mingle in your affairs.” A neutral position. An hazardous choice for an all-business politician like Camelia Claustra. Luna was sure that if it wasn’t for the old friendship between her and her mother she wouldn’t have gone that far either. 

“I see.” 

“You know what really allures the Empire. The power of your trident, along with the rest of the Lucian Ancestors Arminger. When they’ll see Prince Noctis wielding them, they will lose their mind and chaos will burst. If worse comes to worst, you can threaten to throw the trident into the sea. Then they’ll listen. In the meantime, it will be well guarded. Better than the Oracle herself.”

“Understood. I shall reclaim it at the altar.”

“Remember, you’ll be under imperial watch.”

“Right.”

“Think of it as a necessary evil in order to forge the covenant.”

Luna felt weird hearing her mention a covenant. Camelia wouldn’t have known that the princess had evoked the rage of the Gods upon herself because she refused to forge any more kind of covenant. The First Secretary couldn’t even imagine what Luna was actually trying to accomplish with Leviathan’s awakening. 

“I am in your debt.” Luna said anyway, bowing a little. The more complacement with the situation, the better. 

“Once it’s over, you may go as you please. But you do so without our protection.” 

“So be it.”

Camelia let a sigh escape from her lips. For the first time since they met, she looked compassionate when she said: “You better get going. Your public is waiting for you.”

Luna shouldn’t have been surprised of the escalating pace of her life, yet as she watched Camelia leaving the room, a squeeze on her heart reminded her she was getting closer and closer to the end.

She wished Nyx was there beside her.

When a dozen of imperial soldiers rushed in the room, almost crushing the door open for the excessive zealousness and pointing with their guns at her like she was a criminal, Luna didn’t stop to stare into the distance. If she was able to bear her husband’s absence, not even an entire army would have hurt her anymore. She took an unnoticed deep breath and stood up proudly, fervor in her eyes. The soldier who tried to put her on the opposite side of the gun was pulled away with one only firm and cold wave of the hand. Too bad Luna couldn’t see the face he made under the helmet. 

She walked ahead, having nothing but one goal: destroy the Gods and the Darkness and possibly find a way to get her husband back.

———–

The gunshot was healed, but now Nyx had to deal with the headache caused by Izunia’s punch. He had to turn around a bit, breathing heavily and hoping that the hemorrhage would have ceased. In the meantime, his brain couldn’t stop thinking and thinking. He had to do something but he was chained down and not even his magic would have been useful in that condition.

He cursed under-breath for falling right in the Chancellor’s trap, but then again he knew it wasn’t his fault. He only had to find a way to get out of there. Who knew if the chaos already started somehow up there. 

“Hey!” He screamed, headed to nobody in particular. “Is someone there? Heyyy!” The echo of his own voice was the only thing answering back. He let his head falling back on a stack of hay. That dungeon was so dark and silent it was hard to catch the smallest noise. The frustration grew bigger, until his whole body started to scream like a desperate. “Heyyy, someone take me out of here!” he screamed again, angrier. Then he heard something. A delicate swish, nothing more, but it sounded like it responded to the Glaive’s screaming. Nyx lift his head and looked around. “Who’s there?” he asked, this time almost whispering. 

A shadow came out from the darkness and he boggled. 

“Sir Ulric?” The mysterious figure was hazel at the beginning but as it got closer, Nyx could only sigh in relief and most likely, in disbelief. 

“You…? What are you doing here?” 

Ignis Scientia, the Prince’s advisor himself, came under the only candle light they had and adjusted his glasses, surprised as much as the Glaive.

“I’m evacuating the area under Secretary Camelia’s orders and it happened I had to check if someone was left behind in this dungeon.”

“Great! Find a way to get me out of here.”

“I’ll reserve the questions about your imprisonment later.”

“Yeah, later is good.” Nyx grinned, licking the blood away from his lip. He tried to stand up because he wanted to be useful for Ignis in case, but the young advisor seemed to have already clear in mind a solution. After less than one minute, he came back with Nyx’s kukris and without saying a word he shoved it in the floor, looking expectedly to the Glaive, which quickly understood his plan.  
As a matter of fact, Nyx started to feel immediately the magic running through his veins, screaming to him to be used. Smirking with satisfaction, Nyx let it go. He warped out of the cage’s bars, grabbing the hilt of his weapon and holding on to it. He had left the chains back in the prison and now was free to move again.

“If they really wished to cage you, they should have hidden your kukris in a better place, not near the dungeon’s entrance, where i spotted them before.”

“Right. Our weapons are more important than arms to us, our whole magic is connected to them. And to the King, of course.” Nyx confirmed, knowing that a member of the Crownsguard like Ignis knew all this for sure. “Thanks for bringing my kukris back, someone must have taken them away from me when they knocked me out” Nyx said, expertly rotating the knifes and insert them back in his belt. 

“What happened?”

“After my talk with the prince, Ardyn Izunia decided to chat and somehow I ended up here. Crazy, ain’t it? Anyway, what’s the situation up there?” 

“Lady Lunafreya is about to wake the Hydraean. The rite will start in a matter of minutes.”

Nyx felt his heart ache, knowing that Izunia was headed towards the altar too, with the clear intention to hurt her. Lunafreya needed his guardian, now more than ever, and he was still too far from her. He had to be quicker than a bolt.

“Ignis Scientia, what about Kingsglaive and Crownsguard joining forces? Please, take me to Lunafreya.”

—–

As Luna stepped ahead towards the podium, she heard people’s voices slowly shut up, in great expectations. It surprised her how many people promptly came as soon as they heard she would have had a small speech. Like she needed more evidences, that was one another one showing that she really was an inspiration for all Eos. 

As the silence fell, she knew she held them in the palm of her hand. Whatever she would say, they would have listen, so she took a deep breath.

“Dear friends,” Luna started, “I stand before you today with little hope the words I speak shall reach beyond these walls. For slowly but surely, the Light fades from our world. And as it does, the shadows shall loom ever longer until all succumbs to the darkness. Darkness that evokes terror, hatred and sorrow in the heart of men. The ashes of Lucis… A dream of peace, twisted into a nightmare of death and destruction, claiming innumerable lives and leaving myriad souls to suffer.”

The memories hit Luna’s mind with an unexpected ferocity. Sometimes she wanted to afford the luxury of thinking that she wasn’t traumatized by Insomnia’s destruction, but she was. She really was. Even if she had already Nyx next to her at that time, she couldn’t forget the horrible feeling in her guts when Glauca passed his sword through Regis’s spine the same way he did with her mother. Nor she could forget the sensation of having buildings almost falling upon her, the screams of the citizens panicking around, the fire illuminating their skin, the blood on her dress, the smell of the ashes and powder, the uncertainty of not being able to do what it was her duty to do. 

 

After stopping for a second, Luna regained enough energy to continue: “Yet, I beg you, do not surrender to despair. Have faith, for even if our gods would abandon us, the real power to resist darkness is inside every one of us. Working together, we can build a new world, a new future where the sun always shines. Where the night will mean only dreams instead of nightmares, where the rays of the moon will illuminate the peace fell upon us all. Our world will be delivered from the perils of the dark. I stand before you here, in Altissia, to call upon Leviathan, Goddess of the Seas, spirit of the deep. But first I offer you my solemn vow: on my honor as Oracle, I will not rest until the darkness is banished from our world and the light is restored.”

And in that very moment, an emotional applause covered her words. She looked into the crowd and she spotted a single familiar face. She couldn’t be certain of his identity because so many years passed since last time they talked. Only when he nodded, Luna could sigh in relief. 

Noctis.

Her childhood friend.

She smiled, nodding back to him, and turned away.

————-

Ignis was incredibly fast for a man moving in such an elegant suit. Nyx expected to have to slow down the pace, but thanks to the stars it wasn’t necessary. They both ran so fast it was even hard to catch them with the eyes. Their goal was the altar but arriving there was more difficult than they expected. 

The city was completely empty so they didn’t have to worry too much about people left behind and if this was a good thing, it also meant Altissia wasn’t a safe place for them neither. 

A dark grey sky was illuminating a ghost town, touched only by a cold wind and spurts of water coming from the sea. It wasn’t raining yet, but there was so much humidity that the effect on the clothes and skin was very similar. It was so creepy that Nyx hardly recognized the warm and romantic city who welcomed him and the Princess only a week before. 

In the meantime, Ignis continued to run, unstoppable. It looked like he knew perfectly every narrow lane and every hidden path, which was probably true since he seemed like the kind of guy who studies maps at night to be prepared the day after. If it wasn’t for him, Nyx wouldn’t have reached the cathedral square so fast. 

“This is where Lady Lunafreya had her speech,” the young Advisor explained quickly, not bothering to stop to catch his breath. The place where they arrived was huge and now empty. The ferocious and supernatural wind pulled papers and trash on the beautiful tiles of the square, turning the original beauty into a desolated open space. “She headed in that direction. The altar must be there.”

Nyx grabbed Ignis’ arm, forcing him to stop.“You shouldn’t come with me. It’s too dangerous. A mess bigger than you think is about to start and you must not die.” 

“I can take care of myself.”

Nyx shook his head, that was not what he meant. “I don’t doubt it. It’s not you I am worried about. Go to the Prince, keep him safe. If you die before, you won’t be able to do it.”

“What about Lady Lunafreya?” 

Nyx closed fists, his eyes grew darker as he whispered, determined. “You have the Prince, I have the Princess. It’s my job to keep her safe. I won’t allow anyone to do any harm to her, as much as you won’t allow anyone to hurt the Prince.”

“You’ll need help.”

At that words, Nyx smirked, but the smiled didn’t reach his blue eyes. “Yes, I know. But I’ll manage it somehow.” 

Behind the glasses, Ignis’ pupils reveled his evident desire to go back to Noctis and stand by his side during the battle. He clearly wanted to be helpful and he knew the best way to do it was to go back to his friend. 

“Don’t die,” he said, finally nodding. They were in the center of the square and the dark clouds announcing a supernatural event we’re surrounding them. It felt somehow like a goodbye.

Nyx was about to answer when a sudden earthquake shook the floor underneath their feet. They barely had the strength to stand straight before a frightening noise broke the sky in two. They quickly turned to watch the sea in the distance and they saw the huge profile of Leviathan breaking out of the ocean, screaming with a terrible voice, capable of making the bravest man to shiver. 

“The Hydraean!” Ignis screamed, his voice bearable audible in the chaos. 

“Lunafreya has begun the rite!” 

Ignis and Nyx shared one more look and nodded. They would have proceed with the plan if another intimidating noise - this time much closer - wouldn’t have interrupted. It wasn’t good news.

An entire fleet of imperial airships was on their way towards the altar, and as they passed by, Nyx noticed one in particular staying behind. Nyx instinctively wielded his kukris, because he kinda knew who was inside it. As a matter of fact, that single airship veered towards them.

“Bet it’s the Chancellor!” Nyx screamed so Ignis would hear him. The advisor wielded his knifes too, ready to fight, but when a small army of MTs jumped down the airship, there was not much they could do if not starting to kill them all one by one.

Nyx and Ignis formed an unexpected compatible duo in battles. Nyx was more impulsive but this defect was balanced by Ignis’ impeccable strategies he kept yelling at him. As expected, Nyx was a better soldier. His magic was way more powerful thanks to the warp and the spells he learned to use in the Kingsglaive so together they needed only a couple of minutes to have the situation under control. As soon as they did, Nyx caught the Chancellor’s profile watching them from the airship. 

“I knew it” he had the time to whisper before Ardyn Izunia jumped down on the square next to them. 

“You escaped the dungeon. Why am i not surprised, I wonder” he spoke out loud, gesticulating at Nyx like he was an old friend he was glad to meet again. “And you’ve got company I see.” Ignis’ eyes narrowed in the attempt of lining up the pieces of the puzzle, he certainly had no idea of what was really happening. In spite of this, when he spotted the Glaive wielding the kukris against the Chancellor, he did the same, lips arching in a menacing grimace. 

“Go to Lady Lunafreya” he ordered, like the strategist he was. 

“You have to run away, too. Fighting him now would be out of our league.”

“I fear it is” Ignis admitted, but his elegant accent didn’t lose the composure. 

Yet, Ardyn Izunia summoned a weapon in that very moment, a beautiful sword Ignis could swear he saw already somewhere. Was that really an ancestral weapon? Things were getting even more confusing at this point. 

A dozen of other imperial soldiers appeared out of the fog in that very moment, charging against them with the ferocity of an entire army. 

Nyx had less than two seconds to decide. He didn’t want to abandon an ally like Ignis there, because he knew that would have been the equivalent of a sentence to death. At the same time, he knew that staying there to fight wouldn’t have helped Ignis anyway. They both would have died and the sacrifice would have been heroic yet useless. But in spite of any logic, for Nyx it just wasn’t an option. He never abandoned a companion during all his military career and he certainly wouldn’t had now. Wasn’t he the hero of Kingsglaive after all?

“Hell no.” Nyx said, then, with a smug smile on the face.

The impact was violent. There was shooting, iron against iron, screams, smell of sweat and blood.   
Ardyn chose Nyx as his direct adversary, so the soldiers threw themselves on Ignis. They took him down after less than a minute, attacking him from the front and from the back. The Strategist was really good in using magic even if he was just a member of the Crownsguard and not a Glaive like Nyx, so he was able to free himself a couple of time, but he would have died pretty fast anyway if it wasn’t for a long sword coming to help him. Looking up to see who was there surprised Ignis a lot:

“Lord Ravus!” 

“I will regret this, Scientia. But for now, let’s just join forces.”

In spite of the impression he wanted to give, Ravus proved himself a lot less careless than he would have ever like to admit. Understanding that there would have never been a more crucial battle, he was ready to play the “it’s now or never” game. 

Ignis didn’t need to be asked twice. No matter how much he was covered in sweat and blood, he stood up again. He and Ravus joined together against the imperial soldiers, opening a way to reach Nyx and Ardyn.

In the meantime the Glaive - who was hardly warding off Ardyn’s knocks - noticed Ravus’ arrival and with a smooth somersault, he moved back, crouched down and then warped ahead, so he could reach the allies.In a second, Nyx, Ravus and Ignis were standing one next to the others, watching their backs to protect themselves from the Empire’s wrath. In a way, counting on the support of such skilled allies was a relief, but it couldn’t last, because they had to part as soon as possible. In fact, Ravus’ true intentions were reveled when he said: “Ulric, go to Lunafreya. I’ll stay with Scientia, so you can stop playing the war hero.” 

Nyx smirked but nodded, silently thanking his brand new brother in law for the help. 

Under the Chancellor’s eyes, Nyx avoided a soldier which was attacking him, and was forced to warp on the closest airship to avoid the hit. The platform were he land was empty and safe, a perfect spot to watch the situation from another angle. However, when the airship started to move, Nyx gasped, glad but also worried for not knowing the direction he was headed to. 

“Don’t die, ok?” He screamed anyway towards Ignis and Ravus, which still were in the center of the square, surrounded by imperial soldiers. He didn’t leave lighthearted, on the contrary, he knew that both Ignis and Ravus were risking their life and that their possibilities of survival were very few. 

He cursed under-breath as he noticed that Leviathan in the distance was throwing huge pieces of buildings up in the air. Some reached the area close to them, starting fires and destroying everything. He focused again on the two allies getting smaller and smaller from the safe place on the airship. He noticed that they started to fight already but in a very short time Ignis was immobilized on the floor by the imperial soldiers. The rain was wetting his glasses, the mud sullied his elegant suit. It was a pitiful view even from afar and Nyx hated it. In fact he felt the urge to warp back to help him but decided to trust Ravus.

The last thing he saw was Ardyn Izunia swaying towards the royal Advisor and saying something, before he turned to watch the Glaive go with the most malicious blink. 

Nyx closed fists, knowing it still wasn’t over. 

And in the distance, the yell of Leviathan broke the sky in two.

————

Everything was still. In front of the altar where she was standing, there was nothing but the sea, fogged by the upcoming cataclysm. 

Lunafreya collected her energy to perform the Awakening for the last time. Even if the disease weakened her enormously, she still had in her what she needed and after all, that was her calling. She did it perfectly.  
As she felt a quake in her magic, also the earth underneath her trembled in a similar way and the ocean curled up in spirals, making space for the ferocity of the Goddess of the Sea. The huge creature, with the form of a snake or better a dragon, appeared abruptly from the depths of the waters, screaming her anger out and spilling intolerance. Even if Luna got immediately soaking wet, she didn’t flinch. She stood still, the trident in her hand, with a determined glow in her eyes.

“What fool mortal dares break the slumber of the Tide!?” The Hydraen’s voice was like the broken noise of a vibrant radio station, it was terrible, harsh, strident. Luna needed all her strenght to not step back.

“It is I, Lunafreya, blood of the Oracle! Goddess of the Seas, I beseech you: cease your vain attempts of using mankind for revenge. Bless us all with the freedom of choosing about our own destiny.” Her request was simple: she just wanted to be set free.

“This wretched pile of bones and flesh, ignorant of that which governs all, comes to requisition the might of a goddess?“

"I do.”

“Blasphemous ingrates, all men, quick to forget the ages their goddess stood watch!” With a single violent wave, Leviathan threw the princess against a wall. The poor soul almost fainted because of the pain and blinking her trembling hands, she used the trident to regain footing. Her voice was beautiful in the chaos:

“It is in receiving mercy that men offer praise, and in shedding grace that the gods solicit worship.”

But Leviathan wasn’t inclined to accept any praise, and temperment most foul to afford shedding grace. “Yet this profane speck speaks her «freedom» heresies before a goddess! Insufferable sacrilege! Such a thing is far beyond your control!”

Lunafreya stared at the wild creature in front of her, as the saddest sigh touched her lips: “Well, I had to try to ask nicely”. But now, all she could do was to proceed with the plan, even if that would have meant risking more than her own life. If she failed, the entire world would have paid for her act of rebellion. Yet it was for the world’s sake she had to try.

She raised her trident up to the sky, releasing all her white magic in a single burst. It was unexpected, not even the Goddess of the Sea could imagine to be hurt immediately after her awakening. Nor she could expect to be hit by the Oracle itself. 

The brilliant ray of power emanated from Luna cut both her fins and slashed the scales near her throat, but didn’t kill her immediately. On the contrary, it provoked her rage even more. As a reaction, Leviathan moved her tale, hitting Luna with an impressive wall of water and she didn’t fall in the depths of the ocean only because she found a rock to hold on to. As the Oracle spat out salt water that assaulted her nose and mouth, she took a second to recover and then tried again to raise her trident in the air.  
Leviathan was badly injured which made her extremely exasperated. As the Goddess lost from her fins the same silver blood Shiva shed too, she moved again out of control, causing such an hysteria that Luna couldn’t hit her again with the trident’s magic.

The Oracle let the adrenaline take over her own mind, so she could jump from a debris to another debris. Her beautiful white dress tore apart, a irregular slit appeared on the soft material but the girl didn’t bother. She helped herself with her own bare hands, turning the long skirt into a messy mini. After that, she looked out for an ally in all that chaos, knowing someone must be there.

In fact, Noctis appeared in that very moment on a spike in the distance. Luna felt a light squeeze on her heart as she watched the future King of Kings standing there, ready to fight and keep to his duty. In spite of his huge role in the destiny of the world, he still was the childhood friend whose memory filled Luna’s mind for years. Who knew if he used the Ring already and if its power started to corrupt his bones, leading him inevitably to self destruction. The coming developments would have revealed it to her in the hard way. 

Lunafreya understood immediately what she was supposed to do now that she noticed the young prince in the chaos: reach out for him and fill him with the Oracle’s magic so he would have the strength to take the battle to Leviathan head on.

Clasping her fingers around the trident’s cold metal, Luna rushed ahead, trying to get close.

 

The war cries of the Sea Goddess were deafening and because of them, Luna missed an imperial airship’s arrival, coming out of the blue toward her direction. She stopped, staring in surprise at the Chancellor Ardyn Izunia himself descendingto meet with her. 

Luna couldn’t believe at her eyes when the man grinned with a wicked smirk that illuminated his entire face, concealing nothing to the Oracle. He had came for her and now she hadn’t nowhereelse to run.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle has begun. Thinking that Nyx is dead, Luna tries to focus only on her mission to guide Noctis. She is determineted to tell him the truth about the prophecy and to dispose of the malicious Astrals, but this will come with a price …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAST CHAPTER BEFORE THE EPILOGUE! (an epilogue i accidentally deleted from my drafts but ok -.- ) I’m sorry for the horrible delay, I know I didn’t update in an eternity. I hope this big finale will repay your patience somehow. It was an extremely complicate chapter for me to write, more than the other ones probably, due to the action sequences. But here we are, my fix-it fic is over. It was an amazing journey, I loved it. It was long, difficult, but both Nyx and Luna deserved it. I hope you all think the same.
> 
> Let me know what you think, guys :)) I just want to thank @loveiscosmicsin for the costant help she gave me and YOU ALL READERS, because I wouldn’t have finished this novel fic if it wasn’t for your amazing support. I love you all. 
> 
> Stay tuned for the epilogue ;)

Luna stood paralyzed before Ardyn Izunia, mouth agape in sheer terror. She was fully aware that the man was the most inconvenient of obstacles at that point of the fight. Leviathan’s power raging in the background she had no energy to face the Usurper at the same time too.

But for some kind of destiny’s joke, the man didn’t seem to have come to fight for now. He bowed deeply instead, taking his hat off in sign of respect.

“My fair princess! How long I have waited to meet you! The pious Oracle - the Personification of Purity - who rebelled to the prophecy that decided your destiny. A model for the future generations, to never accept a fate written by someone’s else hand. I barely was able to contained my joy when you slew the Glacian.”

Lunafreya frowned and pressed her fingers around the indented grooves of the trident, seeking support in its comfortable power. She knew that if things would have turned out badly, she could count on her white magic, but at the same time gears whirred in her brain, seeking for other possibilities. Wit had always been her best weapon since she was nothing but a scared little girl, powerless in front of the cruel Empire. 

“You seem very well informed for a mere chancellor, Ardyn Izunia. So am I.”

“Then permit us to be honest to each other,” Ardyn sang with his mischievous voice, mellifluous enough to impress her, but not enough to mesmerize her.

“I didn’t expect you would response with a smile to the death of one of the Astrals, the very ones who wish to give the true king their blessing.”

“In a matter of speaking, the prince receiving those blessings was originally part of my plan,” he was attentive to not using the word ‘king’. “But perhaps I can handle it better without that condition. I’m a flexible man, after all. Anyway, let’s not speak of myself. I came here bearing gifts! This is an altar where sacrifices are offered afterall” he continued, indicating Leviathan destroying the city just a mile away. The goddess’s tail swept away an entire building in one swift motion. 

Despair filled the atmosphere and soon the bleakness of the situation will embrace the Oracle as well. Luna’s focus on Ardyn was frustratingly deviated by her worry for Noctis who she couldn’t see anymore. Her first instinct was to run straight to him as soon as possible but then Ardyn gestured to the airship that brought him here. The hatch of the ship automatically unveiled an unbelievable sight in the cargo hold. Luna gasped and widened her eyes in disbelief.

The Crystal.

The ancient artifact bestowed upon the Caelum dynasty of yore and the object of desire that Niflheim made off with in the confusion of Insomnia’s mayhem. It retained a calm glow as it was simply anticipating for one to exploit its magic.

“What is the meaning of this?” Luna asked, trying to divert attention away from her confusion.

“Oh, don’t recognize the Crystal when it’s right before your eyes? The Empire, obsessed by their greed and whatever shiny bauble that caught their attention at the moment, hasn’t quite tapped into it.”

“The Draconian and the Infernian are sealed within it,” Luna said, trying to connect the puzzle pieces.

“You’re right. And you should give them a good wake-up call.”

Leviathan moved and another earthquake summoned a sort of small tsunami which almost reached the altar and swept Luna away. When she was able to stand on her feet again, her knees had bled through her dress and Ardyn Izunia was staring at her with the most malicious of the smirks.

“What game are you imposing?” she challenged, raising her voice over the storm, simply not in the mood to entertain him.

Ardyn extended his arms, feigning concord in a circumstance that hardly was.

“Why does everyone jump to that conclusion? Do you think that I’m not capable of charity? Why, I came all this way to bring the Crystal to you.”

No, of course Luna didn’t believe in the gesture or his words for a second. In fact, she immediately considered the option of fleeing while there was still a considerable distance between them, a distance that the Chancellor was aware of.

To awaken two more deities into the chaotic fray would only wrought more destruction upon them all, she knew it too well. But at the same time, she contemplated that an opportunity would be wasted if she didn’t. At any rate, chances of survival after calling upon them were slim, and if she perished, who would have rouse Bahamut and Ifrit in her stead? She had to give Noctis the opportunity to fight the Gods and reclaim the power of the ring at all costs.

Perfectly aware of following Izunia’s twisted games, she decided to do as he asked for now. She aimed her trident toward the Crystal and let the white magic flow from her. She began to sing and pray, perpetuating the ritual, a performance done way too well by now. As the white lights around them flurried, the Crystal started to tremble so much it almost disintegrated, and everything else in the area subjected to silence. Enclosed in the proximity of her calling, there was the reason why both Ifrit and Bahamut shouldn’t have been driven from the Lucian Crystal in such a violent fashion. Once freed, nothing in the universe could encompass the awesome power of their combined antithetic might. But it was now or never and Luna didn’t really have other choice.

In a instant, the Crystal’s energy exploded.

A burst of an raw, unimaginable force.

The incredible effort sapped Luna every ounce of her strength, never had she been close to death’s gate. The blood from her face dissapated, along with breath bated and heart had skipped a beat. The feeling of losing control on her own body overwhelmed her more than the fatigue ever did and more than the illness looming over her. It was unusual and somehow… unclear.

In the depth of the silent absurdity, Luna reached for her stomach, where she felt something indistinguishably protruding from her side.

She blinked, seeing a dark substance coat her fingers. It couldn’t be blood. It was not the right color.

With Luna’s bearings regained, her eyes adjusted to the Chancellor who had enclosed the distance at last, offering a malevolent smile to the Oracle’s confusion. The blade that met the mark of its incision couldn’t be confused with an hazy dream. It was real. 

She had been stabbed.

There was no reason to look for a particular motivation beyond the unexpected act. Retrieving the weapon from Luna’s reach, Ardyn casually wiped the dagger with a handkerchief. Her role fulfilled, she was expendable in his eyes.

As she gasped and instinctively applied pressure to the wound, Luna had a delayed reaction to the pain. She was occupied with the regret of not surviving long enough to speak to Noctis one last time. What would have given to have the chance to make amends, to finally tell him about the prophecy, and giving him the chance to choose to save himself. She would have sold her soul in exchange of the opportunity to apologize, the thought had been on the back burner of her mind, in their correspondance, but it was too late. How selfish she had been before Nyx opened her eyes? All her life, she deluded herself into protecting Noctis by withholding the truth of his destiny? She never told her childhood friend that bearing the Ring would cost him his life and now, it was too late. She didn’t deserve forgiveness, nor mercy. She earned this death sentence.

She lifted her chin, noticing over Ardyn’s shoulders the colossal visages of Bahamut and Ifrit raised from the nothing after their prison was no more.

She also noticed Noctis, standing on the top of a building, looking at the chaos raging against him. He was ready to face Leviathan and probably also the other Astrals, but he was alone and still not at the peak of his power. It turned out clearly he didn’t use the Ring yet. It was just a matter of time before he realized that his only chance of survival was to doing it.

A tear streaked Lunafreya’s cheek. Ardyn best not misunderstood it as a sign of weakness, but desperation filled her veins like never before. She would have told Noctis the truth about the Ring, and permit him to choose his destiny even if it was the last thing she did in this life. 

But it would mean that she would be reunited with her husband in the Beyond.

—————-

Luna didn’t know that Nyx was not dead. He was alive, refusing to stand ground at a crucial moment.

As soon as he understood that the airship was not leading him in the right direction, he warped from one rooftop to the next, never stopping. Things started to be even more complicated after just a couple of minutes when Leviathan was repelled by the Oracle’s magic. Nyx understood that his wife’s negotiations didn’t succeed and chaos erupted. Debris, crashing walls of water, and explosions hailing around him made evading almost impossible. He had to summon all the tricks in the books to reach an intact building where he took cover for a minute to catch his breath. He felt exhausted already and he got nowhere. On the contrary, he lost track of the altar... or what was left of it. In spite of this, he was totally able to see the fight was growing exceedingly violent.

Soon enough he felt ready to warp again, but a different kind of explosion prevent him from doing it. He froze, looking to the sea, outraged by the scene before him. Two huge and threatening entities appeared not very far from Leviathan, raising from the darkness with cries of hysteria and writhing manically as if they were wild beasts released from restraints. Maybe that it was, especially considering the circumstances.

Nyx couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Bahamut and Ifrit?” he murmured, stupefied. Aside from fairy tales, he did not know anything about the Astrals before meeting Lunafreya, but she recently educated him about mythology, even at cost of sacrificing the safe and intimate moments they shared in bed. Not like Nyx could fault his wife’s bad timing of a time and place, it was a terrible habit, but at least the private lessons turned out to be useful. He was now able to recognize the Astrals.

The Glaive was aware that Lunafreya would attempt summoning Bahamut and Ifrit later on, but he was also aware that the Crystal was under the Empire’s control, possibly very far from here. So how come Lunafreya summoned them already? Something he couldn’t known must have happened.

“How is it possible? Where did you find the Crystal?” And then realization hit him like he was struck by lightning. “Izunia!”

The mere pronunciation of that name send a chill up to his spine. If the Chancellor found a way to Lunafreya, it meant that she was in mortal danger. And Nyx couldn’t believe she accepted to envoke two more enraged gods into the fray. It could only mean the situation was desperate.

“Damn, pulling the brave princess act again,” he cursed beneath his breath. He would tell Luna in person soon though. If he got to her in time.

“Nyx!” The unexpected voice which called up for him sounded like the frenzied mix between surprise and relief.

Nyx turned around to meet eyes with the Crown Prince of Lucis, covered in grime and soaked with sea water, a very far image from the one of royal blood would be presented. Now that Nyx knew the prophecy that Noctis should have fulfilled, the one of him becoming the True King of Light, he wondered if the Astrals have been not only malicious but also befuddled all along because there was nothing majestic in that skinny and clumsy young man. The universe dictated that he was the Chosen One? With a small smile, Nyx thought that maybe it was because Astrals thought he would have been the perfect lamb to lead slaughter – silent, pliable and compliant. Like in Lunafreya’s case, bad news were in store for them.

“Your Highness.”

“What are you doing here?”

In that moment Leviathan’s move threw a debris in Noctis’ direction and if Nyx didn’t warp in time, the impact would made its mark.

“About to go save Lunafreya’s ass, but I guess I can make time to save yours.” Nyx yelled in the attempt to be heard in all the confusion. “What’s up with you royal types and attracting the worst of every situation possible?”

Noctis lifted his chin and shoved the Glaive off him.

“It’s not like I asked for this and yet, here I am.”

Nyx sighed dramatically. This wasn’t the time or place to discuss this, so he didn’t comment any further and just helped the boy up.

“We gotta go. Did you use the Ring already?”

“They wouldn’t be alive if I did,” Noctis grunted, staring at the Astrals raging in the distance. “I … still don’t feel ready.”

When he caught the apprehension in those words, Nyx felt hesitation knot inside his stomach. If carrying the ring on a chain on his neck made the Glaive feel like he had a leash, wearing it on the finger must have felt like succumbing to the death. And the prince was nothing but a boy, brave but naive. Strong but inexperienced. Did he sense where putting the ring would have lead him? Did he guessed the required blood prince beyond it? If he did, he didn’t say anything.

“Should I wear it now, Nyx?” Noctis asked instead, looking at the Astrals in the distance. There was so much distress brimmed in his eyes and an hollowed echo in his voice that Nyx almost wished to shield Noctis away from every possible harm. Sadly, fleeing was not an option.

A pointless response was on the tip of Nyx’s tongue and remained unsaid, leaving him insecure of how to answer the prince. He had to have faith in his wife, trusting she would have guided Noctis until the very end, doing the right thing, and revealing him the truth, all with a smile on her lips. His main goal now was to protect them both.

So Nyx took Noctis’ shoulder and pulled him close, to encourage and to assure him he would have stand by his side, no matter what. Noctis seemed grateful for that hasty but heartfelt gesture and exchanging an understatement nod, they warped ahead at the unison.

The prince and the Glaive, off to save their princess.

———

If those were her last breaths, Luna would have used them to blow things in a way that Ardyn couldn’t ever predict.

Watching with distraught eyes of her own blood dripping on slippery stone, she retrieved her trident again, imparting all her power to it. A thick ring of light encircled her, vibrating and taking everything down like a tsunami. Her white magic yearned to reach the target, searching every perimeter of the atmosphere with spasmodic accuracy until it finally found the prince and another very dear person that Luna didn’t expect to sense.

———

Warping closer to the Astrals felt like shooting against the world’s end. It was fire and water, wind and earth, the elements shaken, the certainties lost in a vortex of unknowns. It hurt. It really did. 

If Nyx and Noctis didn’t have each other to rely on, there was no way that they could safely navigate through the vortex of destruction on their own. There was only forward, but obstacles before them forced them to embark detour after detour and time wasn’t on their side.

But then, they sensed Lunafreya. Like a sudden slap on the face, they suddenly knew she was there. They did not see her face, nor her figure. But it was her and she was everywhere.

“Your Highness, it’s time!” Nyx screamed, seizing the prince’s arm as he pointed at Leviathan, the closest divinity. “Take her out, I’ll cover you!”

Noctis nodded to the Glaive and focused, absorbing Luna’s magic from the chaotic atmosphere with deep breaths and closed his eyes. He secured himself to the wall of a building but he was rewarded for his concentration when he begun to levitate, the ancestral Armiger appearing from the nothing and circumnavigated about him.

Nyx looked at him in awe, holding the kukris in his hands, feeling that his own weapons couldn’t compare, much less leave a dent. For a moment he was certain that Noctis would have been fine against Leviathan without his help and such an intuition found confirmation when Noctis projected the first attack.

It was a blast. 

Fueled by the Oracle’s white magic, Noctis warped and slit, weapons serving him like a dozen of new arms. Nothing dared to move again after his lethal and unstoppable contact. Nyx had troubles in following his lead in the chaos but whenever he caught him, he saw him hitting the target with great precision and he felt so proud of him and even more so of Lunafreya, who lent such an outstanding strength to him.

It was then his mind caressed the memory of Luna that he felt his heart ache in the desire of being reunited with her as soon as possible. He quickly gazed the altar and the gods in the distance with renewed resolve and his feet started to move by themselves. First, they trotted, then they ran, and in the end, he warped. Without taking his eyes off Noctis, he got closer to his wife and finally reached for her.

———————

But what he expected to be the fulfillment of his promise and an happy reunion, quickly turned into the worst nightmare when he faced the truth of what happened during his absence. An absence that almost swept away the light from Luna’s eyes.

“Nyx…” she whispered, letting the trident fall and trying to lift herself up from her forearms.

Luna would have thought she was dreaming if the pain she felt reminded her that the time on this world was to a close. 

“Lunafreya!”

Luna lifted her chin enough to see the Glaive warping next to her, panic spreading all over his face. She found again all the details she thought she lost forever: the small tattoos, the braids, the shape of his jaw, the perfect lips now split and covered with blood. His strong arms picked her up, touching her with desperation and at the same time, delicately.

“I thought you were d–” Luna started, but her breath halted abruptly, stealing away her words.

Nyx adjusted her in his embrace and checked her out from the point of her head to the tip of her heels. His heart fell in a black abyss as soon as he noticed the wound on her abdomen and the urge of doing something almost brought him to the edge of the sanity.

“I’m fine!” When he screamed, he was angry. Damn, he was so angry. This was not supposed to be happening. “What happened to you? What–?” A grimace of pain moved on Luna’s beautiful forehead and she felt the urge to hide her face in his neck to alleviate her suffering. She wanted to cry because he was real, he was alive, and she was dying instead. Where she was headed was somewhere her Nyx would not be.

“Nyx. Nyx…” Her voice was on the verge of tears. “I’m sorry. I did all that I could, I–”

“Hey, the prince got the Ring, okay? He’s gonna fix this mess. You did it. Now look at me. Stay with me. You’re not dying on my watch, Lunafreya.”

Luna smiled and looked at him expectedly.

“You did your job. You delivered the Ring to Noctis… and you came back as promised.” Nyx got drawn by the sweetness in her tone and in that moment everything around them disappeared, the raging Astrals, the decadent city, the chaos, the wounds. It was just the two of them, looking at each other in the eyes, trying to stop the time and capture eternity in the middle.

“Told you I would,” Nyx whispered, caressing her cheek with the thumb, wiping away the water of the ocean. Or maybe, it was her tears.

“Thank you… My dearest Nyx. Help Noctis now, I beg this of you. I beg you.”

“You still have to tell him about the Ring,” Nyx said, frantically, hoping to offer her more reasons to stay, like his wish to remain forever together wasn’t enough.

Luna surprised him by answering, “I will.”

Her promise left Nyx speechless. Then her lips moved, but no sound that he could make out until he leaned in. She gained all her remaining strength to whisper, “I love you” and closed her eyes, looking so tired and pale.

Nyx’s eyebrows furrowed, panic stirring in his chest as soon as he understood what was happening. The acutest pain hit him and paralyzed him. He wanted to say something but couldn’t. His lips were trembling badly. Tears pushed and asked to be released, but he couldn’t do that either. So he just stared at his wife, numb.

“Nyx!” Nyx recognized the voice. It was Noctis, calling for him from a close distance, like an echo, it barely reached him. Another voice joined, a different one, with an aristocratic accent.

“Noct!” This was Ignis. He arrived there, too.

But the Glaive ignored them both. He kept staring at Luna. He got closer to her lips and pressed his forehead to hers, trying to gift her his warmth, praying in vain to save her. 

When he failed, he felt the world stop moving.

—————–

When he almost finished Leviathan off, Noctis had ran toward the altar, sensing Luna’s magic abandoning him. The attempt had caused him pain not only because Leviathan’s hysteria: Bahamut had joined the battle, taking the Goddess of the Sea’s side and throwing the young Prince in the ocean like he was a mere puppet. Noctis couldn’t explain how he survived that.

He felt the Ring calling for him, asking to be used but he did his best to ignore it, certain he had to wait a bit longer. Just a bit longer.

So Noctis swam to the river, Luna’s white magic sneaking away from his veins. As soon as he reached the altar he understood why. She was dying. So pale, so beautiful, curled in Nyx’s arms.

“Nyx!” he called, but then Noctis fell to his knees, a sudden tiredness embraced him. Something else was happening, something inside him. He didn’t even had the time to panic because energies were quickly abandoning him. He had the time to look for the Ring in his pocket, pressing it against the palm of his hand.

“Noct!”

The prince turned aside and noticed Ignis alongside with Ravus. He smiled to his loyal advisor then his sight got blurry. The ring toppled to the pavement and he fainted.

————-

Ravus was still paired up with Ignis when they headed for the altar. But as the High Commander’s breath hitched in seeing his sister’s corpse, Ignis ran to Noctis’ side instead and quickly checked his pulse. Sensing it was still there, he sighed in relief but at the same time searched for the cause of his fainting and founded nothing but the ring beside him. He took it with justified fear and then swallowed, turning around to look at Nyx and Ravus.

The Glaive was huddled there, staring at the woman in his arms. His eyes were empty, haunted by the final words bestowed to him. Not even Ravus, destroyed by seeing his sister lifeless, could equal his level of numbness.

Ignis understood. He understood far better than Noctis or Ravus ever could. He knew what meant dedicating your life to someone and not being able to protect that person in spite of every effort. If Noctis wouldn’t been revived, he would have felt dejected from existence in the same way. So he stood up, thinking of getting closer to Nyx and Ravus to offer them comfort, but there was not time for mourning because the Astrals were still raging in the distance and because someone appeared not very far from them.

“Ardyn!” Ravus seethed, recognizing him.

“Hello there. What a happy reunion in such a distressful time.” 

Ignis quickly assumed a defensive position, certain that he wouldn’t have let him closer to Noct or Luna. “Nyx Ulric! On your feet!” he called, praying that the Glaive would abandon his comatose status and react because they needed him now more than ever. “Nyx!”

When Nyx lifted his eyes, there was death inside. "Give me the Ring,” he said.

Ignis gasped. Nyx knew what using the ring would mean. When Insomnia was under attack he saw Ravus using it and suffered the consequences. Lunafreya had told him that Noctis himself - the Chosen one - would have consumed his life for using it. So when he asked to Ignis to hand him the Ring, he knew that what would have been the consequences, but he just didn’t care. Lunafreya, his princess, his wife, his reason to live, had died in his arms and this made him reckless. His life meant nothing now she was gone. He failed his mission. He didn’t protect her. To atone for such a sin, he would have sacrificed his life to kill the murderous Astrals and maybe also the Usurper, so Noctis didn’t have to.

“No, Nyx. Using the Ring is a right reserved to the True King and only Noct –” Ignis started, but got interrupted by the Glaive’s prompt response.

“You wouldn’t use it if it was Noctis in Lunafreya’s place?”

Ignis didn’t reply, averting his gaze with a grimace. So when Nyx reached for the Ring, Ignis hesitated just for a second before handing it over to him. Damn the consequences.

It was fast. Nyx wore it before Ignis’, Ravus’, and Ardyn’s shocked eyes. And the darkness fell on that dimension, bringing Nyx face to face with the powerful kings of the past.

—————————-

Blades of grass caressed Noctis’ cheek and he woke up. At the beginning he couldn’t recognize the perfume of the sylleblossoms, too much time was passed since he last smelled it. Twelve years, probably.

As he stood up and the blue color of the flowers filled his eyes, he understood he was inside a dream, there was no other explanation to such a contrasting scenery. Trapped inside the body of when he was just a eight years old boy, he looked around, searching for Luna, the only one he shared the memory of the sylleblossom field with.

“Noctis?”

There she was, the younger version of her. Blond hair on her tiny shoulders, the cute little dress, she was exactly like he remembered in her fondest memories.

Noctis felt his heart warming up, childhood dreams filling with bittersweet tenderness his mind repressed from the associated pain of her visage.

“Luna?”

“So you found your way here.”

Noctis stood up and looked at her. Once again, they were two children in a flower field, talking surrounded by peace.

“And you found me” Noctis whispered then, comforted by that thought.

“A chance to see you once more. Who would have thought?”

“Luna. Where are we? What’s happening?”

“I needed to have a moment to speak with you, Noctis. Before I go.”

“Go where?”

In that moment, the wind swished graciously and Luna’s beautiful white dress follow the breeze, getting longer in the air. When Noctis lifted his chin to look at her again, the child was gone and an adult woman, mature and emotionally drained, replaced her instead. Still, she was beautiful.

“Where you can’t follow, Noctis. I’m dying. I enjoyed my moments of happiness. Since I left my goodbyes with Tenebrae months ago, I knew this day would have come,” she whispered, but her echo could be heard from the distance in the irisdescent atmosphere. “The Astrals ordained my death and rebelling against them came with a price. I’m ready to the fare as long as you, Nyx, and the all of Eos are preserved.”

The mention of that name in the conversation woke doubts in Noct’s mind. Even if he was trapped inside the body of a child, his memory of an adult was able to reach for the image of Luna dying with Nyx’s lips on hers. That caused him pain but also a dazzling feeling of emptiness.

“You love the Glaive, don’t you?”

Luna let a second pass and then nodded.

“I was happy, Noctis. He made me happy, even for just a little while. So don’t think you couldn’t save me because in a way... He did already when nobody else could.”

Noctis forgot how to use the tongue to speak for at least one minute straight. The feeling inside his heart was confused and uncertain, very similar to the frustration of not being able to do what he always wished to: helping Luna. 

“What… What should I do then? What do you want me to do?”

“Your burden is heavy enough. You still must banish the Darkness from our Star, Noctis. Ardyn Izunia is the Usurper and even if we’d succeed in killing the malicious Astrals, he still would try to have his revenge on your lineage. The only power able to destroy him is the one restrained in the Ring, but about that you must be warned of something your father and I never had the courage to share with you.” Luna could barely conceal her sadness looking at the child she shared so many fond memories with. He really cared for her, as much she cared for him. It was about time to speak him the truth and guide him one last time before parting ways. They were like parallel lines, after all, always so close, never destined to entwine.

“What is it about?”

“The Kings ask for a blood price. The Old Wall can be summoned from drawing the essence of your life.”

“Does it mean I’m gonna die…?”

Luna’s heart ached.

“So speaks the prophecy, Noctis.” The spark died in the boy’s eyes and Luna had only a faint hope to offer him. If she would have suggested him a corect line of action which implied saving his life, she would have considered her calling of Oracle really fulfilled. Guiding him was her mission, after all. Making him happy was her wish. “But you can defeat it, together with your best friends and with the loyalty of the Glaives like Nyx. So many people are ready to stand by you all along, Noctis. So many people are ready to challenge fate to see you safe. Not a single life will be taken if you will share your burden with all of them.” 

“Share my burden…? How?”

“Inside the Crystal, you’ll find an answer. The Kings of Yore will show mercy to their descendants. Once you’re inside there, your trials will start and you’ll enter into reflection. Remember you’re not alone. If you’ll keep in mind that you don’t have to carry your burden alone, you’ll manage to survive the cruel fate the gods chose for you.” 

A sudden and far noise broke the peace of the meadow. The sylleblossoms delicately waved, the earth underneath their feet did, too.

Noctis panicked a bit like the kid he seemed, while Luna looked upon the sky with sad eyes. Understanding what was happening, she got so close to tears and had to battle a lot to be strong.

“What’s going on up there?” Noctis screamed. The dream they were trapped in started to collapse. 

“You belong to the realm of the living, Noctis” said Luna then, aware of running out of time, “Godspeed. Reclaim your throne. Nyx has certainly used the Ring already like the stubborn fool he is. Don’t let the Kings burn him alive for his recklessness, I beg of you. Join forces with him.” 

The sylleblossoms around them started to melt and moved like waves of water. Still, Noctis had questions.

“What about you?” Luna shook her head in response. “No! Luna!” The mysterious flow pulled Noctis away from his friend and no matter how much the boy streched out to reach for her, he just couldn’t touch her.

Luna didn’t ask to be saved though. She was smiling, because she told Noctis the truth in the end because Noctis would have saved Nyx and together they would have saved the world.

Her duty was done.

Her calling finally fulfilled.

———————

Nyx found himself floating in an indefinite blue space, surrounded by darkness and clueless of what expecting next. He figured that such a place was an alternate dimension used by the Kings to get in touch with the mortals but he couldn’t be sure. Yet, all that space, with no appropriation of space or size, made him even more anxious than he already was. He was sure that the Kings of Lucis wouldn’t have welcomed his impudent initiative, so he stood there alone for a long minute, in silence and uncertainty, contemplating the possibility of his imminent death.

“Show yourselves, Kings of Lucis!” he called out in the end, tired of waiting.

Like they were sparks of blue fire bursting out of a volcano, the spirits of the kings appeared all around him, minacious and powerful. They didn’t make a sound nor move a breeze. What did he expect from ghosts? And Nyx hoped that ghosts may go gentle on him.

“You call upon the wards of this world’s future, mortal. And if you come lusting for our power, you must first stand in our judgment,” one of them started. Nyx thought it was the most important among them so he turned around until he faced him.

“You did nothing as Insomnia burned and now, you did nothing as the woman who did so much to preserve the light in the world - the woman who dared to challenge the gods when nobody of you did – suffered and died. She is the blood of the Oracle, but you let her alone in this fight!”

Nyx’s voice trembled as he spoke so, but didn’t end it there. On the contrary it screamed out loud. He was angry, he was in agony, he was ready to fight not only the Gods but also the ghosts of the Kings of Lucis in order to receive even the slightest hope of bringing Lunafreya back. The pain of having lost her had hurt him so badly that he was ready to try and risk everything. He would have gladly got down in hell, sunk his feet in the river Styx and fought the devil himself if it was necessary. Everything. Everything to keep her safe - or in this case, to bring her back.

He didn’t want to think it was over and that she was lost forever, not yet, but he couldn’t deny that the situation was kinda desperate.

“Man is a fool creature, clinging to his past and cowering from his future” answered the Kings in fact. “Wasting his strength on bygone days. And what future are you wards of? So shortsighted. And cursed never to rise above it. It does not fall to us to guard your city or your woman.”

“But it falls to you to guard the future!” Nyx screamed back.

“Guarding the future is something we do of our own accord. At a time we so choose.”

“The longer you wait, the more the world burns! Old or new, or whatever it is, give me your power. Now! Destroy the gods. Banish the darkness. If you can’t save her, don’t let Lunafreya’s death be in vain!” Nyx’s voice was starting to get not only reckless, but also really desperate. With Lunafreya gone and the prince unconscious, if the Kings of Lucis would have refused to help him too, there would be no hope.

He wanted to save everything and everyone, it was something written in his blood and he couldn’t help with it.

“You do not command us. Yours is not even royal blood.”

That statement hit Nyx’s nerves. He couldn’t believe that the Kings would have been so irrational and stubborn to refuse his request just because he wasn’t a member of the royal family. Truth to be told, he could have asked nicely, but there was no time for it. They had to listen to him, and quickly. So he opened his mouth to try to work out a response and give them a piece of his mind when another voice joined the conversation, interrupting him.

“His may be not. But mine is.” 

Nyx boggled and turned around in shock.

He may have not spoken with that voice so often, but he would have recognize it between a milion similar ones.

Noctis was standing there, some steps away from him, lifting his chin to face the Kings, an unspoken courage on the face. He was raising his right hand in the air and it was then when Nyx noticed the ring on his finger. Puzzled and confused, the Glaive checked his own hand, seeing that the ring had dissapeared from there to materialize on the prince’s. This caused an hesitant smile dawning on his face.

“The Ring. How…?” Nyx whispered, adressing to Noctis. “How come you’re here?”

Noctis glanced at him briefly and smiled wryly. “Luna.”

That name made Nyx’s heart lighten and enlarge. “You spoke with her…?” he asked increduolously. 

Despite his question, Noctis walked ahead, ignoring him to address the Kings instead.

“Father.” One of the shadows twirled gently and bent down, getting closer to Noctis with obvious familiarity. He didn’t say anything, so Noctis did first, “Grant to Nyx Ulric to go on living. I’m gonna need him as much as I’m gonna need the support of my friends. That’s how I can defeat the prophecy, isn’t it?”

“The prophecy is matter of the gods and the Kings put it into action. You must know by now that the power of the Ring costs a life because it’s fed with vital energy. No one can change this” the mechanical voice of the ghost king replied. 

“What if each one of us sacrifice a piece of their own life instead?” Noctis asked it as a question, but he looked pretty confident about his suggestion. “In that case, you’d have your blood debt and we all would survive long enough to enjoy the light of the dawn for years.”

A deep silence fell among the ghosts of the kings.

“Who plotted this scheme?” Someone asked. Surprisingly enough, there was stupor in the question like they were outraged that someone actually dared to elaborate such a proposal.

Noctis didn’t answer but his grin milded with a tender expression, revealing the truth without speaking a word.

Luna.

It was certainly her the one behind the suggestion.

King Regis - it was clear it was him under the solid armor which made him hard to recognize - stepped ahead, slowly. “For years I mourned your fate, Noctis. I would have done anything to save you and I still would. But your life is very high valued, your request cannot be granted so easily. If we accept, how many people would have to share your burden when it was meant to be only yours to bear?”

“I don’t know. How many people died for me until now? Without my knowledge?”

Regis boggled at the veiled accusation, hit right in the feelings. In his mind shocking images of Insomnia’s destruction probably appeared, because he immediately seemed to submit.

“I’m sorry, Noctis. I was only trying to spare you the pain... I thought your destiny couldn’t be changed.”

Noctis’ face frowned in suffurance. “I wish I knew about what gods had in store for me, Dad. We would have find a solution together. And maybe … you’d still be here, too.” The boy almost started to cry but he quickly hid the feelings behind a mask of resolution, determined to settle down the right priorities. He looked at his finger, were the ring was positioned. Glowing with a menacious shade of red, it looked like an horrible instrument of death.

“But we can still change destiny, Dad. I’m going to get home back. Trust me. Believe in me.

King Regis took a long minute before nodding. For some reason, Nyx imagined he was smiling under the helm.

“My wayward son is ready to be a king, then” he said then, a voice so human in spite of the eerie reverberations. And he stepped back, to rejoin the rest of the Kings. “He’s right. A lot of people will be ready to lend him their strength. We must prepare to pay our blood debt and Noctis will do what he must. Let’s grant him our power and send the Glaive back with him.”

There was a long silence, but for some reason, the King who spoke first - the most hostile one - didn’t bother to object. It was like he trusted King Regis completely even if he was technically the latest addition to the club.

“Very well, Chosen. You and the impudent Glaive return to the realm of the living. We’ll grant you our powers. And then you’ll enter into Reflection, for you, the journey has just begun.” 

But Noctis didn’t seem to be satisfied yet.

“The world is going to need a guide while I’m inside the Crystal. Who should I trust for this? Ravus? I don’t think so. You all know that Eos always looked to only one person for inspiration,” he added, knowing exactly he was crossing a line he shouldn’t have get close to. Asking to the Kings a ressurection when he just obtained the greatest powers almost for free was really… audacious. In spite of this, there was the sparkle of a smile on his lips. Like he knew that Kings wouldn’t ever deny anything to their beloved last heir.

Nyx realized he was not so shameless compared to him. And for this reason, he promised his eternal loyalty to that young King instantly. 

“Now, now, Young King. We take lives, we don’t give them” one of the Ancestors replied though. “The favor you’re asking is something only the gods are able to grant. Throw them on your feet and they shall do as you order. They will give back the life they slowly sucked away all along. The Oracle is not of our concern.”

Noctis turned. He and Nyx shared a deep and meaningful glance.

Nyx didn’t know what to say, so great was the confusion and the emotion. He just saw history being written under his very own eyes and he could barely realize it.

“Of course. The Six ripped off Luna of her white magic, and if we kill them one by one, they’re gonna give back what they took. Luna’s life included. So, we can stick to our original plan” Noctis whispered, opening the palms of his hands and closing his eyes. The Ring glowed again, glowing red, and Nyx understood they were going back to reality with an unbelievable pact sealed with the old Kings of Lucis. Unable to formulate into words the strong emotion he felt inside, he just stepped ahead, closer to Noctis. As he reached for his shoulder, King Regis interrupted him in the attempt of stealing another promise.

“Nyx Ulric. You used the Ring and this will take a major tool on you, no matter if you’ll survive or not. The old wall is no joke and you was so reckless to ask for it. However, I am getting used to trust you with the lives of the dearest people I still have on earth, because I know you didn’t let me down and never will. Take care of my son.” 

Nyx took only one instant to figure what Regis wanted to say. The Ring was made of black magic, the darkest and the most powerful one. If it was true that the life price would have requested a certain amount of strength from Noctis’ best friends, a major price would have come upon Nyx, because he dared to use the Ring, going way too far. He couldn’t think of playing with fire without getting burned. At the same time, he couldn’t regret trying. So he nodded with a serious expression.

Regis probably was satisfied of his courage, so he added, “However, once that Luna is back, she will help you fighting the darkness of the Ring’s repercussions. Godspeed.”

And if that was the deal to be struck, the darkness didn’t scare him.

So, he smirked like he was used to, “Where do I sign?”

——————-

With a flash made of light, they returned back to reality.

Ardyn didn’t got any closer and the Gods were still raging behind, so both Nyx and Noctis realized that just a couple of seconds had passed since they left the real world to speak with the Gods.

So they didn’t lose any more time, they both sprinted up on their feet and summoned their weapons, Nyx the kukris, Noctis all the ancestral weapons in his arsenal. Shoulders against shoulders, they shared a nod and silently agreed on what to do.

They parted ways without even the need to wish each other “good luck”, because no luck was needed. They both had the power of the Kings of the past and that was an assurance of victory already.

Noctis threw himself agaist the Astrals first, knowing they were the priority if they wanted to clear the path to Ardyn and if they wanted Luna back. With the Ring on his finger he was unstoppable and lethal while Leviathan was heavily injured already. He didn’t took a lot of time to knock them off, one by one, but Nyx didn’t notice anyway. In fact, everything happened so fast that Nyx could barely aknowledge the sequence of action at all. He didn’t have the time to see Noctis killing Leviathan and Bahamut, then Ifrit, then summoning Titan and Ramuh and dispose of them too. He didn’t have the time because he was busy keeping Ardyn occupied until Noctis would have been back and he did it amazingly.

Like Regis’ ghost warned him, the power of the ring was taking a toll on his body already. He was feeling the dark magic of the Kings running through his veins, leaving marks similar to burning cinders on his skin. In spite of this, he didn’t bother. He would have kept the promise he made to Regis: he would have stood by Noctis side, no matter at what cost. He would have gifted him his own vital energy at the right moment. And he would have survived to see Luna running back in his arms.

Nyx learned that hope was the most powerful magic in his own arsenal. Without it, he wouldn’t have been the hero everyone labeled him with when for the first time in forever, he felt to stand the title.

Thinking of this, the power of the ring overwhelmed him to the point he completely lost the control on time. Maybe the pride and the self condidence were pushing him towards the darkness quicker than he could expect. Once again, he didn’t care.

Ignis and Ravus came to help him and that was when Ardyn himself started to lose the fight. All of a sudden, the Usurper couldn’t avoid the blows delivered by the kukris, nor the trajectory of the magic, and Nyx felt the darkness inside him getting stronger and stronger, he lost his soul to it.

He kept casting death spells, until the climax brought him to the point where he could barely remember how to breathe.

That was the moment when a voice called for him.

“Nyx, that’s enough.” 

He couldn’t stop immediately, even if he wanted to. He kept attacking Ardyn, like another wave of darkness had deleted his rationality, replacing it with pure fury. It was not until he recognized the voice calling him that he halted. 

“Nyx.”

He gasped.

His vision blurred.

He stopped this time.

He let the kukris falling on the ground and all of a sudden he felt like the powers of the ring abbandoned him, which made him kneel down and almost faint. His heart missed a beat, confused by the lack of adrenaline he previously lost himself to. If a pair of pale arms didn’t embrace him, he would have certainly crushed his face to the ground.

The scent of her hair hit him first. Then the warmth of her skin. Nyx sighed deeply, finding relief even before completely aknowledging what was happening. He used his last reserves of strength to hug her so tight that he feared losing her if he didn’t hold her close.

“Ardyn is gone,” she whispered in his ear, delicate like a sylleblossom and gentle as a breeze. 

He was not instead. Trembling and panting, the Glaive asked harshly, “Is he dead?” 

“No, my love. But he will be, one day. By the hand of our King, not ours.”

Fair enough.

Only then, Nyx sighed deeply, slowing regaining control on his muscles. As the power of the kings started to leave his body, he felt the skin melting and the brain going empty. He almost wanted to cry to give to vent the numbess, but he ended up abandoning himself to her, burying his nose in her hair. 

“We both did enough, Nyx. Let’s take a break.”

Her voice was so calm, and that was the only thing that prevent him from falling apart.

Nyx flinched back to look at her, eager to involve other senses in the relief of having her back. And Lunafreya was there, real and alive. He admired the square shape of her jaw, the bones of her collarbone, the crystal blue of her beautiful eyes. She was covered in powder and dirty water, but she never looked so human and beautiful. He immediately reached for her cheeks, to caress them and wipe away a tear stemming from the source.

“You’re back,” he whispered, still shaking. The spirals similar to burning cinder reached his neck, but the only touch of Lunafreya’s hand took it away with a glow. Her healing magic was his cure. Not even when he made love to her thinking there was no tomorrow, he felt more intimately connected to her like when she cured him in that specific situation. She literally sucked away the darkness inside him with the delicate touch of her fingers and that felt like heaven. With a sigh of relief, he leaned forward to kiss her smile. When they interrupted the kiss a minute later, she finally managed to nod. 

“What did you offer to the Kings in exchange of my life?” 

“Nothing more than what we already planned to offer. The lives of the Six.”

Luna opened her mouth in disbelief and immediately checked the marks on her stomach. Nothing was visible under her thin and white dress, which meant they were all gone. The knife wound created by Ardyn was gone, too, and only the stain of the dark blood smudged the fabric. The destruction of the gods inverted the course of her destiny, exactly like they originally expected. When Noctis killed them, their death gave back her life, her magic and her health.

Realizing this, Luna gasped but the shock on her face was well concealed by the calm of her inner confusion. She was just too surprised to actually show it. She just stood like that, Nyx’s hands on hers, and said nothing.

In the meantime, around them the fog had cleared, revealing that Ardyn had dissapeared. Ravus and Ignis - exausted by the surreal fight - limped toward Nyx’s and Luna’s direction, dismay on their faces that in Ravus’ case quickly turned into excitement.

“Lunafreya!” he screamed, shamelessly stealing her from Nyx’s arms to hug her like he never did before. Luna gladly accepted his affection for once, wondering why she had to die before seeing his brother act like when they were children. “You were dead. How…?”

Nyx stood up with difficulty, looking at the weird spirals on his burning skin slowly dissapear, leaving behind scars. Shelving the mixed feelings he had towards the Ring’s blood price and Noctis’ survival, he focused on the view of Altissia around them.

Destruction and chaos was everywhere.

The corpse of the gods had dissapeared immediately after their death, but the signs of their rage remained in the felled buildings and broken bridges. The darken clouds in the sky opened a little, so the weak rays of sunshine could touch the flowers destroyed by the water, the upside down tables and chairs of the restaurants and the broken glasses of the windows. It was a distressing view, but Nyx could only feel relief.

The Gods were gone. Somehow, they accomplished the impossible. But if the battle was won, so it wasn’t the war. Izunia was still alive and he would have spread the Darkness upon all Eos. 

As a matter of fact, he looked for Noctis and noticed him up there where what was left of the altar was located. He stood all alone with the Crystal next to him. Even from the distance, the ring on his had was extremely visible, as much as the sad expression on his face.

His eyes met Nyx’s, and he smiled. That look meant a lot for them both. It meant “I will be back soon I promise”, “go, we’ll settle the rest”, “hold on until the day I will reclaim the throne”, “take care of them” and also … “take care of her”. Nyx somehow understood all the layers of the glance and simply nodded, clenching the jaw in a nervous and silent movement.

Then, Noctis quickly glanced back at Ignis, looking for Prompto and Gladiolus who were running in their direction. A soft smile warmed up his expression. In that moment, Nyx noticed that something was different in him, already. His way of standing tall was different, his shoulders were straighten up, his face looked more mature. And when he turned his back to his friends to enter inside the Crystal, Nyx observed the awareness in his walking.

The young prince would have been a great King once he would have come out of the Crystal. He would have lived long enough to rule well on Eos, sharing his burden with his loyal friends. With him, too.

While he was thinking at this, Luna’s fingers slid between Nyx’s ones, delicate as feathers. The Glaive turned to watch her positioning next to him, holding up to his arm. Her eyes were glowing like diamonds under the rays of the sun, a sun that would have shown rarely in the next years.

Nyx found inspiration in watching her, knowing that she would have lead Eos during Noctis’ absence, spreading hope in his return.

So, it was it. The moment of the separation had come. Darkness would have fallen upon them. But it would have been temporary.

Nyx and Luna stood in silent reverence as they watched their future King dissapear inside the Crystal, leaving the burden of the world on their shoulders.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE EPILOGUE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. This is the end. What can I say? Just … Thank you. One year long journey on this fic. Thank you. Thank you really :”) and thanks to @loveiscosmicsin, my editor in all this <3

Sometimes Nyx wondered how he managed to survive when so many of his loved ones didn’t. Selena, Crowe, Pelna, comrades in arms in the Kingsglaive, and countless civilians… They all deserved life, even more than him, and yet, they were not alive when the fog of the battle dissipated. He was. He shouldn’t have. He challenged fate so many times it was mathematically unbelievable that he emerged unscathed. 

For what, anyway? Maybe there was no specific reason. Good people were rise to shine in the spotlight and good people burn out like candles when it’s their time. After all, it’s just the circle of life. For now, it was not his time to join them.

And yet… He wanted to believe there was a reason he’s still here. If everything he had done was worth it in the end. The victory of survival rang hollow when he could do nothing to honor the memory of those who led him there. What came next would be entirely up to him. A purpose, drive, meaning, anything to clutch and lean toward until he found answers. He knew just the person for that.

Nyx searched for them in Luna’s pretty eyes, now so meditative and relaxed, gaze settled on his figure. Usually so blue, they were shining with the colors of the sunset across the distance. They look also a bit sad, distant, even, it did strike a chord of alarm within him and reasonably so. She was seated on the grass, casually caressing the marks on his neck left by the fight in Altissia. Was she contemplating over how she was still alive, too? If she did, Nyx hoped to be her reason to live, as she was his. 

"We should head back, my captain. Ravus must be looking for us," she whispered, sweetly as warmth glowed her cheeks. Like the beautiful paradox she was, she didn’t even rush to stop the caress, nor made no movement that matched her words. She just kept sweeping her fingers through his hair, lingering on his braids, and thoughtfully tracing them. 

“My captain,” he repeated, taken back by the title she chose to address him with. Well, what he attained. After all, he was gained the title of captain in Tenebrae’s Army, cooperating strictly with Cor Leonis, the captain of Insomnia’s Royal Guards and Kingsglaive, or what was left of it. In fact, these two captains had been preoccupied with the combined powers of Tenebrae and Lucis. Somehow, they ran across soldiers from the more distant corners of Eos. Being granted the rank in recognition of the valor and sacrifices he’s demonstrated looked pretty on paper, but the reason behind his unforeseeable promotion was simply…

“I’m a Captain just because I’m your husband. Damn, didn’t see that there were perks to our marriage besides seeing you, beautiful.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t like to be called like that. It suits you, hero.”

She was calm and serene saying it now, but when she assigned him the position at the beginning, she had her doubts. Firstly, she didn’t intend to place such a burden on his shoulders only because they impulsively wedded back when they thought they had no future. Secondly, because administrating Eos’ armies after all what happened would have kept him so busy. And yes, she missed him every time they were apart. During their long and epic journey from Insomnia to Altissia, she got so used in having him at her very side all along that now, waking up without him felt like being deprived of an arm or leg.

But this temporary aversion aside, Nyx had been amazing so far: he had managed to come back to her almost every day, even if exhausted, he always found time for her. No matter the world’s crisis, he wouldn’t ever have renounced to those special moments with her. 

“Then I’ll call you ‘my queen’." 

"Technically, you couldn’t, since Ravus is the King, which puts me as your humble princess." 

"Why can everyone call you ‘Queen’ but me?” Nyx groused, pretending to be outraged.

Luna giggled in response, leaning on him a bit. “Masses don’t care for logic, they just need new deities to worship now that the Astrals are gone. They also have in mind my mother’s example, and they want to give me the same title of Queen Oracle. You’re not like that, my darling. You do understand the difference, don’t you?”

“I do… Princess. It’s just a waste. You’d look amazing as a queen.” Nyx sighed, acknowledging one more time how Luna was good with words, kind of manipulating him to do whatever she wanted him to. Even over small things.

So that was what they were now. 

He was the captain of a bigger army than he could handle, she was the guiding liberator, the light and the balance in a post-apocalyptic world swallowed by chaos. 

After Noctis’ disappearance inside the Crystal, the small group of people who was aware of what really happened reacted with spontaneity and an organized intelligence. To face the emergency, Ravus and Aranea—the only two heroes who were part of the imperial army already—dominated control of the dying Empire. The emperor made deceased somehow by the hand of Izunia anyway, so it was enough to occupy the vacant throne, to proclaim themselves rulers and to command the remaining troops to surrender to the new government and the ‘coup d'etat’ was done. The evil Empire had fallen, its twisted games were overthrown. To be honest, neither of them thought that taking over the world would have been so easy. 

But if getting on top of Eos had been unexpectedly quick and simple, taking care of it challenged them further. 

Claustra, as Accordo’s First Secretary, stepped forward to the powers afforded with her office and mandated that all the world’s survivors seek refuge at safe havens. Ravus and Aranea agreed this was a priority since everyone started to realize that Izunia was still alive, Darkness would fall upon them soon.

Now was not the time to rebuild Eos. Not yet. They got to be prepared for the worse was yet to come. 

So, they asked Luna to have an inspirational speech as soon as possible, to inform everyone about what was about to happen. She did as she was requested for Eos’s sake. There, they announced that Lestallum would be the only haven. Following their beloved Oracle’s behest, masses started to flood the city. To aid their journey to the bustling haven and as her mother did before her, Luna enchanted the glowing havens positioned along the way where many offered words of gratitude for the Oracle’s steadfast guidance and wishes for their safety.

Lodgings and the seemingly vast perimeters in Lestallum shrink with passing day.

Libertus was with them. After all that happened, his chubby face was a call from a very distant memory. A bittersweet memory made of the scattered images of their home in Galahd, then Niflheim’s attack, their survival, and then the cruel fights in the Kingsglaive, street life in the slums of Insomnia …. Seeing him again was better than anything Nyx could’ve wished for. Such was the joy that the new Tenebrae Captain delayed all his appointments to spend a night in a bar of Lestallum with his friend, drinking beer and eating cup noodles. He had a lot to tell and six hours were barely enough for them to catch up on each other’s adventures. They both agreed that even if their lives changed so drastically, they would have kept their dreams alive. They promised to return back to Galahd one day and rebuild it from the ground up. When the King set all things right again, they would have had the time and the disposition for doing so.

However, if going back and forth from Lestallum to Tenebrae meant for Nyx at least some moments of happiness in seeing the old friend, for Luna it was not the same. The idea of leaving her homeland for an unspecified time distressed her a lot more than expected. It was not easy to accept that running away was their only option especially after all they done to grant the light. She knew it was temporary and that the King would have come back… And yet, she couldn’t help but watching the news with sad eyes and heavy heart. 

And now… Now it was her turn. She was the next one to get ready to leave her own homeland. 

"How’re you feeling?” Nyx took Lunafreya’s hand, stopping her caresses. He kissed her fingers with his dry lips. “You ready?" Luna hesitated at the question. She didn’t want to lie so she just waited for his intuition to pick up the cue. "I’m sorry, Lunafreya." 

Luna forced herself to take her eyes off him and contemplate the view around them. It was somewhat painful. She just didn’t want to believe that there was another farewell to her homeland. The sylleblossoms field they were resting on smelled like grass, earth, and flowers, and it was soft. Being the perfect picture frame for the buildings in the distance, it impressed an indelible memory in her head. It was the perfect place to have some rest, glowing like that at the last rays of the sunset… yes, the sunset. It was just 1 AM. The days were growing shorter and shorter. 

"I will be fine.” Her voice tried to be strong, but Nyx understood the sadness beyond it, as expected. 

“I’m sorry, Lunafreya. I know you don’t want to leave but we have no other choice” he repeated, sitting next to her and pulling her close, driven by the sudden need to comfort her. She initially tried to avoid it, like she wanted to deny her actual distress. But when Nyx insisted, she just let herself go, and literally melt in his embrace. She didn’t cry though. She was tired of crying. “I lost you once and I can’t risk letting it happen again. Daemons get closer to the palace every passing day and we can’t push them away anymore." 

“…Noctis will settle this.”

"He will. But in the meantime, it’s my job to protect you. For as long as I have strength in my body. Like it has always been. Like it will always be." 

Nyx kissed her eyes, pressing her breasts against his chest. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, protected by each other’s warmth from the breeze, and in the meantime Luna’s eyes wondered on the landscape. In that moment of calm, when she felt of belonging to that position, Luna let herself get lost in the memories of their incredible journey. 

They went through so much …

“Remember the first night we talked at the ceremony’s eve, next to the aquarium?” she asked. He smiled.

“How could I forget the first time you dragged me into troubles and almost got me fired?” 

“Just appreciate the prize you won taking that risk.”

Nyx couldn’t argue with that: because of her, he stepped into an insane journey made of horrifying revelations and difficult trials, but also made of laughter, electric emotions, and soft complicity. From the very first time their eyes met, Nyx and Luna got involved into a crazy spiral of events that brought them closer and closer. Now, their existences were entwined. He really couldn’t complain about it.

What a joke of destiny their entire life seemed right now, Nyx thought. No, no destiny. It had been their choice, from the beginning to the end. If he had the chance to go back in time, he would have done it all over again, exactly in the same way. 

"You’re right.” Nyx smirked, deciding in that very moment to warm things up a bit. He raised his eyebrows and moved the hands from her shoulders to her legs, grabbing them tight. “Who would have thought I would have been able to put my hands on such a princess?” he whispered, trying to get as seductive as he could. He wondered what effect he would have sorted and didn’t need to wait to find out. Luna immediately blushed hard and gasped. After months of marriage, she still wasn’t used to him getting sensual and this constantly caused Nyx to laugh. He thought it was funny - and irresistible - the way she looked like an untouched maiden every time he got closer. That was one of her best lies, of course, because she was everything but innocent and pure and Nyx had many chances to notice.

“Nyx, you should wait until–” Nyx cut her words by kissing her lips, soft and roughly at the same time, pulling her in for the make out session he was always starving for. With her hands exploring his chest and his neck, he felt like healing. And maybe it was true. She was really healing him, on so many levels.

He moaned, letting her hands taking care of the marks of the Ring on his skin. He felt light sneaking in his veins, replacing the darkness that the ring branded him with. They would have had this forever, probably. His own light had been the price for using a power that was not his to have. But Luna had enough light to share and it would have kept him alive for a very long time.

So, forgetting the past, all that Nyx thought of now was tasting her with his lips. Her jaw, her soft neck, her delicate shoulder. Teasing her was so pleasant. He pulled her closer, in the attempt to wear her like a second skin.

“I’m not good at waiting,” he justified himself, inhaling her sweet perfume.

Luna leaned back, trying to catch a breath and say something but Nyx reclaimed her lips back immediately, making hard for her to think straight. The girl could only settle herself against his body, gently cupping his cheeks.

“Wrong. You’re good at everything.”

“Flattery gets you anywhere.” He replied trying to kiss her again, but Luna was ready to prove him wrong. She pulled back with more decision, standing on her feet and smirking. Nyx sighed, in sign of surrender. He never had a chance against her anyway. She was a princess, used to being in command, stubborn enough to not changing her mind after she decided something.

“Okay, fine. Let’s go back to the castle” he snapped his tongue. He was about to add “for the last night” and even if he didn’t, Luna seemed to sense the unspoken words in the air. 

Her face immediately turned from cheeky to sad again. So, Nyx stood up and lifted her chin.

“I know. Not the happy ending you expected." 

Luna shook her head, holding to his hand. 

"It is happy, in a sense. Bittersweet would best describe it, but far from… an ending.”

Nyx looked for something appropriate to say and settled with, “Maybe it’s better that way. I don’t like endings anyway. I like life. I like the journey. And we’ll keep having ours together.” Luna seemed puzzled by his words for a moment, then smiled. Nyx’s eyes sweetened in watching her. “As long as I have strength in my body… I’ll fight for the future, ours, and the entire world’s. So, we’re gonna have a happy ending, Lunafreya. But not for now. Now we can enjoy our happy journey.”

Luna’s smile enlarged in his hand caressing her. Suddenly, Nyx was certain he never saw something brighter. 

Putting her arms around his neck and standing on the tips of her toes, she whispered, “Yes.”

And they headed back to the palace, ready to face whatever it was about to come.


End file.
